Pinehouse residents in Regina after Muskeg Fire forces Sask. northern village to evacuate

Residents of the northern village of Pinehouse, Sask., had a long drive south Wednesday night after wildfires forced them to evacuate to Regina by convoy.

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The Facebook page for the village, which is about 575 kilometres northwest of Regina, asked residents Wednesday to pack lightly and prepare for the trip south.

“This will be a long trip as we will be going further down south. Please pack water, snacks, anything you would need for a long trip,” the post said.

Buses were available to take residents to Regina, according to the post.

The community is being threatened by the Muskeg Fire, which also encroached on the neighbouring community of Beauval.

Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) vice-president Steve Roberts said the eastern side of that fire, opposite Beauval, is now impacting the area around Pinehouse.

“That community will now be going under an evacuation order and removing all of their non-essential residents,” Roberts said.

Meanwhile, non-vulnerable residents of Beauval were allowed to return home yesterday. Beauval Mayor Rick Laliberte previously told CBC the community is better protected from the Muskeg Fire as there’s a river separating it from the village. 

“The southern part of the fire has been very well secured,” Roberts said, but other areas of the Muskeg fire are threatening communities like English River First Nation and the hamlet of Patunak.

Roberts said 11 communities across Saskatchewan were currently evacuated and around 3,000 people are displaced across Saskatchewan due to wildfires, as of Wednesday afternoon. 

Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources: