'It's a tinderbox out there': Wildfires prompt evacuations, state of emergency in Sask. RM

Jeffery Tram · CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 7:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: May 9

A wildfire that broke retired earlier this week successful the Rural Municipality (RM) of Garden River, northeast of Prince Albert, Sask., prompted evacuations and led section officials to state a authorities of emergency.

As of Thursday, 133 wildfires had been recorded successful the state truthful acold this twelvemonth — much than treble the five-year mean of 60 for this clip — according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA).

"Essentially each these existent fires — they're each human-caused," said Bryan Chartrand, the SPSA's enforcement manager of onshore operations. "If we took that origin out, the hazard of occurrence would beryllium very, precise low."

In Garden River, Reeve Ryan Scragg said a occurrence that started Monday adjacent White Star Road and Highway 55 grew rapidly and required enactment from aggregate occurrence departments and the province.

"We had a ample occurrence commencement connected Monday, which necessitated a truly immense effect — including neighbouring RMs with their occurrence departments, the state and the Public Safety Agency," Scragg said.

The occurrence dispersed into the Nisbet Forest and forced the evacuation of astir six homes. It has since been contained but continues to beryllium monitored owed to adust conditions, Scragg said.

"It's a tinderbox retired there," helium said.

The RM of Garden River declared a section authorities of exigency connected Monday.

"The SPSA was recommending evacuations," Scragg said. "As a council, we decided to enact the authorities of emergency, conscionable fundamentally giving america other powerfulness and entree to resources to beryllium capable to combat these fires."

Scragg said 1 of the fires was caused by instrumentality failure, portion different appears to person started erstwhile a powerfulness enactment struck a histrion during precocious winds.

"Definitely human-involved, but thing nefarious," helium said.

The evacuations were carried retired with assistance from the RCMP and SPSA. Scragg said nary injuries oregon spot harm person been reported.

"Any clip you get an exigency concern similar this, things tin escalate precise quickly," helium said. "But I would telephone it a palmy evacuation."

Fire crews are presently moving to incorporate different occurrence successful the RM, estimated astatine respective 100 acres successful size. Scragg said occurrence guards person been built, and nary homes oregon captious infrastructure are presently astatine risk.

"It's strictly successful farmland," helium said.

With adust conditions persisting crossed the province, a occurrence prohibition has been issued for overmuch of bluish Saskatchewan. Garden River enacted its ain occurrence prohibition much than a week ago.

"The conditions with the deficiency of rainfall are conscionable ripe for a wildfire developing," Scragg said. "Not lighting fires is the main one, and conscionable being much fire-cautious."

WATCH | Fire prohibition issued successful bluish Sask. arsenic wildfire play ramps up: 

Scragg, who is besides a farmer, said section producers are taking steps to hole for imaginable fires.

"We person a h2o motortruck astatine the acceptable with a occurrence pump connected it. I cognize a batch of section farms person the aforesaid benignant of setup," helium said. "The quicker you tin respond to a tiny fire, it limits the accidental of it becoming a large fire."

Saskatchewan's wildfire play typically ramps up aft the May agelong weekend, but conditions person already go unsafe owed to adust upwind and wind.

"Everybody is stretched truthful bladed close now," Scragg said. "There are ample fires burning successful adjoining RMs to ours successful the northbound — successful the wood area."

Scragg is urging members of the nationalist to debar exigency scenes and enactment retired of progressive occurrence zones.

"A batch of radical are funny and privation to spot what's going on, attracted to the flashing lights," Scragg said. "But it makes it hard for crews and archetypal responders to bash their jobs."

The SPSA encourages anyone who spots a wildfire to study it by calling 1-800-667-9660 oregon utilizing the agency's mobile app