Forest Fire Smoke Forces New Round Of Evacuations

Forest Fire Smoke Forces New Round Of Evacuations

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 15:30

 

 

Another community in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca basin is being affected by heavy smoke caused by forest fires.

 

Just under 70 evacuees from Fond du Lac are being airlifted to Saskatoon.

 

This is the fourth community in Saskatchewan’s Far North in the last month to see residents evacuated due to the fires in the region.

 

The evacuees include elders, pregnant women, young children and people with breathing problems.

 

They are being sent to a reception centre at the University of Saskatchewan.

 

Canadian Red Cross spokesperson Jen Pederson says a couple of planeloads of evacuees arrived last night — and more are coming in today.

 

A state of emergency was declared in Fond du Lac yesterday afternoon, but none of the fires is threatening the reserve itself.

 

Earlier this months, smoke from wildfires forced the evacuation of roughly 2,800 people from six northern communities.

 

Some of them were displaced from their homes for over two weeks.