Sask. crews struggle to hold back flames as dry, windy conditions feed ongoing wildfires

WATCH: Fast-moving winds are making wildfires burning in northern Sask. difficult to contain, provincial officials said on Friday.

Saskatchewan’s premier is praying for rainfall following a day that saw firefighters fleeing for their safety from aggressive flames, and the estimated number of wildfire evacuees approach 15,000.

“I’d say we didn’t have a very good day yesterday,” said Premier Scott Moe, addressing reporters on Tuesday from the base of the province’s wildfire firefighting operations just north of Prince Albert.

“Many families are leaving their homes, and they don’t know if they’re going to see it again,” he said.

“These aren’t just buildings … they’re not just structures that are nailed together. They are family homes.”

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said as of Tuesday there were 20 active wildfires in the province — five that were uncontained — including the Pisew fire that forced around 2,000 people out of the La Ronge area on Monday and destroyed a vital piece of firefighting infrastructure in the community — the communications building at an airport that serves as the principal northern air tanker base.

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No aircraft were lost, says Moe, and public safety officials are working to get a coms trailer in place so the airport can be brought back online.

Currently, the SPSA says it’s too smoky to land any aircraft in the community, though the Alberta government is lending a helicopter suited to the job.

Across the province, the SPSA estimates over 400 structures have been lost to date due to the aggressive nature of these fires, fed by dry conditions and high winds.

Moe told reporters that just several months ago, it seemed like it would be a typical fire season.

“We haven’t had a rain since. Things are tinder dry,” he said.

“We need rain, we need it soon, and until we get it, we are in the fight for our very communities.”

‘Very, very dry’

Environment Canada is reporting the driest spring on record for both La Ronge and Prince Albert.

“Very, very dry conditions,” Christy Climenhaga, a scientist with Environment Canada, told CTV News.

La Ronge has received just 18 millimetres of rain over the past three months — far below the 100 millimetres it typically gets.

Prince Albert has seen only 8 millimetres this spring, compared to a normal 85.

Rain is in the weekend forecast for areas near the wildfire zones, but Climenhaga expects it won’t be enough to make a significant difference.

“As the rain is falling, it definitely makes things a little easier. But there is more wind, so that’s something to contend with,” Climenhaga said.

Strong winds are expected to push wildfire smoke into east-central Saskatchewan. Southern regions may see smoke drift in from wildfires burning in Alberta and British Columbia.

‘Heartbreaking’ wildfire destroys homes in Denare Beach

Parts of the Saskatchewan Village of Denare Beach have been devastated by a fast-moving wildfire that has destroyed homes and forced evacuations.

The Wolf Fire — burning east of Saskatchewan’s largest wildfire, dubbed the Shoe fire — reached the lakeside community on Monday, driven by strong winds.

“We literally could watch the fire jumping from island to island, coming across the lake to our village,” resident Allen Lagore told CTV News.

Lagore estimates half the community was lost in the flames, including the addictions treatment centre he operates.

“This is incredibly heartbreaking, half of our area has lost homes,” Lagore said.

Emergency crews were working to protect the village Monday morning, but by late afternoon, conditions became too dangerous.

Firefighters had to pull out and relocate to the nearby town of Creighton, about 17 kilometres away.

SPSA President Marlo Pritchard said fires were “so aggressive” that firefighters “had to get out of the way for their own safety.”

“Yesterday was an extremely challenging day for our firefighters. Just so you know, many of our firefighters had to flee,” Pritchard said, during a wildfire update with the premier Tuesday.

The SPSA says it has registered 9,000 evacuees already, but estimates up to 15,000 have been forced from their homes, with many finding their own supports.