A significant wildfire which caused the evacuation orders for the Clearwater River Dene Nation and Northern Village of La Loche has not increased in size in the past 36 hours.
That fire is 266 hectares in size. “No homes, businesses or infrastructure have been burnt or damaged by the fire,” said Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency Vice-President of Operations Steve Roberts Friday.
He added that a shed and abandoned vehicle have been damaged.
Leadership in La Loche ordered a full evacuation Thursday, sending residents to Regina. The Clearwater River Dene Nation evacuated to Meadow Lake and Lloydminster earlier this week.
Roberts said added air support in the past two days is proving beneficial. Highway 955 is currently open, but the evacuations were issued due to extreme smokey conditions and threat to the Highway.
Roberts explained that the wildfire burning between the Moosomin and Saulteaux First Nations is partially contained.
So far this season 74 wildfire starts have been reported, smashing the 10-year average of 39. There are 14 active fires in Saskatchewan with four contained, two under assessment, one protecting property and seven not contained.
Weather conditions for Saskatchewan over the next three-days are forecasted to be hot and dry. These conditions would lead to more fires.
People are asked to exercise caution when starting fires. Roberts explained that many communities have burn bans in place. Each fire this year is human-caused, Roberts saying each will be investigated.