700 people stranded in northern Sask. community after wildfire blocks road

About 700 radical successful a small hamlet successful bluish Saskatchewan are stranded Friday aft a wildfire knocked retired the lone roadworthy into their community.

Patuanak, a hamlet astir 425 kilometres northbound of Saskatoon and astir 90 kilometres northbound of precocious evacuated Beauval, Sask., is typically lone accessible by roadworthy via Highway 918.

This week, the road was chopped disconnected by a wildfire, preventing radical from leaving, and blocking nonstop entree to supplies and exigency crews. 

"Essentially they are harmless but they are chopped off," said Candyce Paul, exigency absorption co-ordinator for the English River First Nation, which Patuanak is simply a portion of. 

"They had mislaid powerfulness erstwhile arsenic poles got burned, but SaskPower was rapidly capable to support the roadworthy capable to restore the power."

Speaking from the La Plonge reserve just extracurricular Beauval, Paul said determination isn't immoderate contiguous information to Patuanak from wildfires oregon dense smoke. The nearest wildfire, she said, was inactive astir 60 kilometres away.

"Medical services are each up there. There's an airdrome up there. We person a squad operating up determination arsenic well. Our exigency absorption team is making preparations for immoderate script that comes up."

Paul said essentials similar pharmaceuticals person been brought successful by air, portion a squad of nurses was capable to question to the assemblage by boat.

Many assemblage members with analyzable aesculapian needs were capable to permission earlier the roadworthy was chopped off, Paul said, galore of them taking refuge successful Cold Lake, Alta.

"The ones that needed to beryllium evacuated, they are 90 per cent out," Paul said.

On Friday morning, the English River First Nation exigency absorption squad announced that La Plonge had been afloat evacuated.

Beauval closes road

Meanwhile, the Village of Beauval announced it had blocked the roadworthy into the assemblage to forestall non-essential unit from entering.

Traffic volition inactive beryllium allowed to exit the community, which is present much than 75 per cent evacuated. 

The Village of Beauval besides announced that the Travelodge successful Saskatoon being utilized arsenic a muster constituent is present full. Evacuees volition beryllium assigned to caller hotels. 

John Rediron, an evacuee from Beauval, told CBC News evacuees arrived successful Saskatoon late Thursday. 

"Everybody's been helpful, you know, and they've been calling america and making definite everything's OK," Rediron said. 

He and the different evacuees are trying to get arsenic galore updates from their assemblage arsenic they can, helium said, but it's not wide erstwhile they'll beryllium capable to instrumentality home. 

Canada Post, meanwhile, has issued red alerts for Beauval and Patuanak.

For Beauval, the station bureau is closed and incoming message is being held securely off-site until further notice. The station bureau successful Pataunak remains unfastened but the wildfire has interrupted proscription of mail to the station office. 

63 progressive wildfires successful Sask.

As of Friday afternoon, 63 wildfires remain active successful the province, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.

Of those, 17 are listed arsenic not contained, 25 are nether ongoing assessment, and 11 are listed arsenic "protecting values" fires, meaning the occurrence is progressive and the absorption is connected protecting "values" specified arsenic cabins and infrastructure. The different 10 fires are considered contained.

So acold this season, determination person been 334 wildfires, which is good supra the five-year mean of 195 for this point, according to the information agency.

More than $5.5 cardinal has been distributed arsenic portion of the authorities of Saskatchewan's $500 payments to evacuees 18 years of property and older, the bureau said successful a Friday update.

In summation to La Plonge reserve and Beauval, the edifice subdivision of Lac La Plonge and Kinoosao also stay nether evacuation orders, it said.

As of noon, the evacuation bid for the bluish colony of Bear Creek had been lifted.

Up-to-date info connected progressive fires, fume and related topics is disposable astatine these sources:

• Current evacuation orders.
• Interactive Sask. progressive occurrence map.
• Fire information map.
• Fire bans.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada upwind alerts.
• Sask. Highway Hotline.
• Smoke forecast.
• Air quality.
• Tracking wildfires crossed Canada.