Rain offers a little relief from fire threat in Waskesiu

WATCH: A wildfire emergency advisory was issued on Sunday for the Prince Albert National Park. Here's what it means for visitors to Waskesiu.

This story was originally published in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. It’s paid for through federal Local Journalism Initiative funding and shared under a Creative Commons licence.

More moisture over the August long weekend has been a welcome sight for people in Waskesiu.

Parks Canada reissued the pre-evacuation alert for Prince Albert National Park on August 1, due to the Buhl Wildfire that has potential to cause emergency situations for the public, including deteriorating air quality and or visibility due to wildfire smoke.

Waskesiu Community Council chair Jim Kerby said on Tuesday that crews were making progress on the fire in areas closest to the community.

“In terms of battling the Buhl Fire — particularly on its southern flank closest to the communities of Waskesiu, Elk Ridge, and McPhee Lake — it has been a very good week overall, and especially the last few days,” Kerby said via email.

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Kerby explained that there was rain on Monday and a nice amount of precipitation on Tuesday morning.

“It’s truly a wonderful sight, bringing much needed moisture and significant relief. We already know that some of the rain on Monday reached portions of the fire, but not all of it.”

The community was waiting for the daily update on Tuesday afternoon to see if the rain from Tuesday had reached the fire.

“That would be wonderful news for everyone, including all our communities and the firefighters,” Kerby said.

The long weekend also saw a return to form in Waskesiu, according to Kerby.

“The community of Waskesiu continues to be very safe, and we are 100 per cent open for business. It was a very busy August long weekend here – loads of tourists and seasonal residents. That will help start the month off in the right direction,” he said.

When the first pre-evacuation alert went out on July 13 the fire was 40 kilometres away from Waskesiu and according to Tuesday’s Parks Canada update the fire is 30.6 kilometres away.

The fire is currently 30.6 kilometres from the Waskesiu townsite, less than a kilometre from Ramsey Bay, 12.5 kilometres from Montreal Lake Cree Nation and 34.8 kilometres from Elk Ridge and 37.9 kilometres from McPhee Lake.

The Resort subdivision of Ramsey Bay and Ramsey Bay Campground remain under an evacuation order declared on July 24. Montreal Lake Cree Nation, Elk Ridge, and McPhee Lake currently have no evacuation alerts in effect.

Kerby again thanked both Parks Canada and SPSA firefighters for their continuing work on the Buhl Fire.

“I continue to be very impressed with the way that the unified command structure is working – a great combined effort between Parks Canada and the SPSA. The efforts at ensuring solid communication with the affected communities have also been outstanding overall. I would really like to express our sincere thanks to everyone involved in battling this fire, and so many other fires in our Province,” Kerby said.

Travellers on Highway 2 north of Waskesiu may see fire activity and are advised to drive with caution. Nearby, the Ditch Fire is also active, with SPSA crews working adjacent to the roadway.

The provincial fire ban issued July 10 remains in effect for areas north of the provincial forest boundary up to the Churchill River.

As of Tuesday, the fire had reached 95,456 hectares, with 13,226 hectares burning within Prince Albert National Park and 82,230 hectares on the provincial Crown land.

The Buhl Fire, first identified on June 29 was caused by a lightning strike. Current resources assigned to the incident include 161 personnel (not including additional SPSA support staff), 11 helicopters and one infrared scanning drone.

According to the SPSA there are 80 active wildfires in Saskatchewan as of 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Of those active fires, seven are categorized as contained, 15 are not contained, 42 are ongoing assessments, and 16 are listed as protecting values.

There are currently 13 communities are under an evacuation order including the Northern Village of La Loche, Clearwater River Dene Nation, Resort Subdivision of Lac La Plonge, La Plonge Reserve, Northern Hamlet of Jans Bay, Resort Subdivision of Ramsey Bay, Patuanak/English River First Nation, Northern Village of Pinehouse, Canoe Lake Cree First Nation/Canoe Narrows, Resort Subdivision of Little Amyot Lake, as well as priority individuals from the Northern Village of Beauval, Northern Hamlet of Cole Bay; and, Ile-a-la-Crosse.

-With files from Arjun Pilall / Daily Herald