Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says two people have been charged with setting wildfires.
Moe announced the charges during an update by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agecny on Saskatchewan’s wildfire situation Friday afternoon.
He says one of the people was charged in relation to the wildfire near La Ronge, that has caused the evacuation of the tri-community area.
There continues to be 24 active wildfires and Moe says many of them are human caused, either intentionally or unintentionally.
In recent days, both the NDP Opposition and FSIN have called on Premier Moe to call in federal help in the wilfires.
Moe says they are in daily contact with the federal government but have not yet asked for the military to help airlift evacuees as they have so far been able to gem them out by road.
Update:
The RCMP sent out a media release Friday afternoon providing more details.
The release is as follows:
On May 30, Waskesiu RCMP received a report of a suspicious fire in a rural area off of Highway #696. Investigation determined the fire was deliberately set. As a result of continued investigation, an 18-year-old woman from Montreal Lake Cree Nation is charged with one count, arson, Section 434, Criminal Code. She was scheduled to appear in court on Montreal Lake Cree Nation on June 5, 2025.
On June 3, at approximately 1:45 a.m., Nipawin RCMP received a report of a male setting fires in the ditch beside Highway #55, near the turnoff to Snowdon. Officers responded. Passersby had extinguished a small fire that had started in the area. An adult male was arrested at the scene. As a result of continued investigation, a 36-year-old male from Pelican Narrows is charged with one count, arson, Section 434, Criminal Code. He is scheduled to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court on June 6, 2025.
We understand there is public interest in seeing if any wildfires can be fully or partially attributed to criminal acts. Checking into the circumstances of each report of arson received recently will take some time. Many of our officers are actively engaged with response to wildfires.
We appreciate your patience. It’s also important to note that the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency investigates the cause, origin and spread of wildfires. They are best to speak about how or if any incident started or contributed to a wildfire.