Wildfire forces evacuation of 500 from First Nation in northern Saskatchewan

People stop along a highway as a large active wildfire fills the sky with smoke in the background in the La Ronge, Sask., area in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

About 500 more people in Saskatchewan have been forced to flee due to threatening wildfires.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says those at Clearwater River Dene Nation, about 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, have been told to leave.

The latest evacuation puts the number of wildfire evacuees in various communities in the province to about 3,500.

On Wednesday, the 1,000 residents of Pinehouse, a village southeast of Clearwater River, were told to leave their homes.

Saskatchewan is reporting 63 active wildfires, including 17 that are not contained.

The province has called in 300 soldiers from the Canadian Armed Forced to help fight the blazes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2025.