RCMP have charged two people with arson in connection with a few of the wildfires in northern Saskatchewan.
Most wildfires were accidentally caused by humans—but two people were arrested on arson charges. On May 30, Waskesiu RCMP received a report of a suspicious fire in a rural area off of Highway #696. An investigation determined the fire was deliberately set and an 18-year-old woman from the Montreal Lake Cree Nation was charged. The other incident occurred around 1:45am on June 3rd. RCMP received a report of a man setting fires in the ditch beside Highway #55 near Snowden. A passerby extinguished a small fire that had started in the area. A 36-year-old man from Pelican Narrows is charged with one count of arson.
There are currently 24 wildfires burning, including seven that are not contained. The weather forecast is calling for weekend showers, but with amounts far short of what would be required to make a dent in the major fires.
The fires that are not contained that the SPSA describes as large, complex or located close to communities including the “Shoe” fire near Lower Fishing Lake, the “Jaysmith” fire near Missinipe, the “Pisew” fire west of La Ronge, the “Wolf” fire west of Denare Beach, the “Pelican2” fire northeast of Pelican Narrows, “Club” fire north of Creighton and the “Ditch02” fire north of Weyakwin.
Crews in La Ronge are working to prevent further damage to buildings in the community. The Shoe Fire has moved to within 11 kilometres of Candle Lake. The resort community says it has been told that the fire could reach their outskirts in three to ten days, depending on weather conditions.
Steve Roberts is the vice-president of operations with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. He says the very large fires can change quickly if wind speeds and direction changes.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) has joined the provincial NDP in calling on Premier Scott Moe to call in the military to assist with the northern wildfires. Moe addressed the issue during the media briefing on Friday afternoon.
Moe says the military does not have water bombers or highly trained firefighters. He says the call will be made if the RCMP needs assistance with its duties or if a major aerial evacuation is required. There was a bit of positive news into Friday’s briefing. Discussions are underway to allow residents from two unnamed communities to return home. This is Marlo Pritchard, president of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.
Any wildfire evacuees with questions are encouraged to call the toll free line . . . 1-855-559-5502. That is in operation from 8am to 8pm daily.
Meanwhile, SaskTel restored services in parts of Northern Saskatchewan including Pelican Narrows, Jan Lake, Denare Beach, McLennan Lake, Brabant Lake, Deschambault Lake, Southend, Wollaston Lake, tony rapids and Fond-du-Lac.
The Town of Creighton, parts of La Ronge and additional communities along Highway #102 extending north to the Missinipe and Grandmother’s Bay area are not yet restored.
Due to the ongoing fire activity, it is expected there will be more disruptions and customers are being asked to access communication services at a minimum to prevent network congestion, while crews continue to work on repairs.
In addition, the Provincial Court has adjusted the court schedule for La Ronge and the La Ronge circuit point of locations as a result of the wildfires. The La Ronge courthouse is closed, and proceedings are being conducted remotely.
(above photo credit-Buckland Fire and Rescue/Facebook)
