La Ronge and several nearby communities ordered to evacuate due to wildfires

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 02, 2025 1:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Fast-moving fires successful Saskatchewan's northbound person led to respective communities successful the La Ronge country being ordered to evacuate connected Monday.

Residents of La Ronge, Air Ronge and Lac Ronge Indian Band were ordered to evacuate precocious successful the afternoon, aft seeing adjacent communities get the aforesaid absorption earlier successful the day.

People with their ain proscription are being asked to thrust southbound connected Highway 2 and registry astatine the Days Inn successful Prince Albert.

The designated gathering spot for evacuees needing assistance is the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre successful La Ronge, which is astir 340 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

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Chief Tammy Cook-Searson of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band said earlier Monday that arrangements were being made for buses, and state for vehicles, and that leaders would enactment with the Red Cross connected accommodations.

Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency vice-president of operations Steve Roberts said La Ronge residents whitethorn person to caput westbound to get out.

"If Highway 2 is compromised and they cannot beryllium guided through, they volition really beryllium moved down until they deed [Highway] 165. They volition question westbound and past down done Île-à-la-Crosse connected that highway," Roberts said.

Space for evacuees needed

Where much evacuees would extremity up staying is inactive up successful the air.

About 8,000 people had been evacuated successful the state arsenic of mid-Monday.

Roberts said the SPSA and different organizations are trying to place which cities and towns person edifice abstraction that could judge evacuees — anyplace from Prince Albert to Weyburn to North Battleford to Hudson Bay.

"Basically, we're canvassing each assemblage successful Saskatchewan for their capableness and arsenic evacuees travel out, they volition beryllium directed to areas wherever they tin beryllium housed until they tin instrumentality home," Roberts said.

He said they person adjacent been looking to Alberta to spot if immoderate evacuees could spell there. 

On Sunday, Montreal Lake Cree Nation declared a pre-evacuation announcement for radical successful Molanosa, a small, isolated assemblage astir 150 kilometres northbound of Prince Albert.

Coun. Carol Naytowhow told CBC connected Sunday that the First Nation has been taking successful evacuees from Weyakwin, Molanosa and Timber Bay. Naytowhow said they are currently staying successful disposable lodging usually utilized for impermanent staff.

There are besides 2 shelters acceptable up with abstraction for 14 and they're preparing to location astir 100 radical successful a gym.

Naytowhow said they are besides preparing for the anticipation of having to evacuate each 1,500 radical connected the reserve. 

She said a assemblage hallway successful Shellbrook volition instrumentality successful 400 connected cots if needed.

As of Monday afternoon, determination were 19 active wildfires successful the province, with six considered contained. Air prime warnings are inactive successful effect for overmuch of the north.

Roberts said 163 "values," including houses and cabins, person been mislaid to the wildfires — double what was reported connected Sunday.

The Shoe Fire, presently the largest successful the province, has prompted the closure of parts of Highway 165 and evacuation alerts for respective communities, including East Trout Lake, Whelan Bay, Narrow Hills and Little Bear Lake.

WATCH | Hot, dry, windy upwind not bully quality for Sask.:

SaskTel outages

SaskTel Internet, wireless and landline services are presently not disposable successful Deschambault Lake and Pelican Narrows.

Those services volition besides go unavailable successful Jan Lake this afternoon.

Services won't beryllium restored until crews tin safely hole the outages oregon when crews can bring generators and substance to the impacted sites.

SaskTel services person been restored successful Brabant Lake, Sucker Lake, Southend, Key Lake, Cigar Lake, Collins Bay, Wollaston Lake, Black Lake, Stony Rapids, Sandy Bay and Fond du Lac.

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

• 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.