Thousands of Saskatchewan wildfire evacuees are about to be able to go home, with the Lac La Ronge Indian Band announcing residents will be able to return to the La Ronge area starting Thursday.
Chief Tammy Cook-Searson confirmed to Global News the barrier on the south side of the tri-community will be removed on Thursday at 8 a.m., the same time the evacuation order will lift.
“We are grateful we’ll be able to start returning our community members home,” she said.
The area, home to over 7,000 people, was evacuated on June 2 as the PISEW wildfire rapidly advanced towards the region from the west. Residents described fleeing in vehicles while flames roared on the side of the highway.
The fire did breach La Ronge, burning down the iconic Robertson’s Trading Post, as well as the local Rona store. Firefighters also faced challenges around the La Ronge airport and other industrial areas. However, most of the region was saved.
A notice from the towns of La Ronge, Air Ronge, and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band said the evacuation order will also be lifted for Sucker River, Hall Lake and Stanley Mission.
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“The fire is looking good,” Cook-Searson said. “(The firefighters) are confident that they’ll be able to fight the fires.”
She noted fire crews have come from across Saskatchewan to assist in fighting off the flames, and recent downpours in the area have helped immensely.
The repatriation will be staged, with healthy evacuees in private vehicles able to return on Thursday. A full return for all residents is scheduled to begin on Saturday.
Face of firefight changing as threat diminishes
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says changing weather conditions have helped crews make “operational progress” on many of the major fires burning in the northern half of the province.
Fire bans are expected to be lifted in areas north of the Churchill River that received rainfall, while more evacuation orders are being rescinded.
“What we were experiencing even as short as a week ago is greatly diminished,” Steve Roberts, SPSA vice-president of operations, said.
“Our tactics have switched from aerial suppression to try and hold these fires, to actual direct attack on the ground with firefighters to start securing these lines.”
He noted the large fires are expected to continue burning throughout the fire season, but he is expecting only small incursions from fire lines.
“They will be constantly monitored. They will flare up at times,” Roberts said.
The SPSA is also now going to combine the classification of the Club and Wolf fires, burning near Creighton, Sask. and Flin Flon, Man. into one blaze due to the joining of the two fires. They will be jointly referred to as the Wolf fire in future communications.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 23 wildfires were burning across Saskatchewan. Six of those are classified as out of control, while another two are “protecting values,” which means fire crews are focusing on fending off flames from properties and assets like vehicles and campers.
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