'We're keeping a couple bags packed': Weyakwin, Sask., residents start returning after evac order lifted

Jeremy Warren · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 06, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 6

Lisa Powder and her large grandchildren were among the archetypal Weyakwin residents to instrumentality location aft fleeing a wildfire that burned dangerously adjacent to the bluish Saskatchewan community.

"It's bittersweet to travel location to spot it similar this," Powder said portion walking to a neighbour's location Thursday afternoon.

"Kind of scary with each the fume and knowing the fires are inactive around. So we're keeping a mates bags packed conscionable successful case."

An evacuation bid for Weyakwin, a hamlet located astir 250 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, was lifted connected Thursday, allowing residents backmost successful for the archetypal clip successful a week. Thick fume remains, arsenic does the menace of spot fires.

Powder is grateful for the firefighters and different crews that stopped the occurrence from damaging a azygous gathering successful the hamlet.

There are tiny losses, though, similar a favourite walking trail. Other losses volition regrow.

"We mislaid a bully berry patch," Powder said. "That was the champion blueberry spot successful town."

A fistful of occurrence crews patrolled Weyakwin connected Thursday, checking sprinklers and watching for spot fires.

Jordan LaValle and his unit were gladsome to spot radical returning. They've been warring disconnected adjacent Ditch occurrence since May. 

That's erstwhile LaValle, who grew up successful Weyakwin and is simply a certified exigency firefighter, got a astonishment sojourn portion moving his regular occupation astatine the La Ronge Co-op.

"My unit showed up determination and they needed a unit boss, truthful I ended up clocking retired and told my brag I privation to spell firefighting and prevention the town," LaValle said.

That's precisely what Lavalle's crews and dozens of different firefighters and volunteers did.

Kalan Natonagan lives successful Weyakwin and is portion of LaValle's crew. On Thursday, helium was heading retired to extinguish a spot occurrence successful the bush conscionable down the thoroughfare from his house.

"It feels bully to combat for my ain community," Natonagan said.

The occurrence burned overmuch of the wood successful the area. Charred trees and brushwood enactment Highway 2.

"There's precise small remaining retired there," LaValle said. "You can't truly spot immoderate wildlife oregon nothing."

Working connected the beforehand enactment of an unprecedented wildfire play is simply a spot of a thrill, he said.

"You couldn't adjacent locomotion 50 feet and determination was different feline determination moving to enactment retired the fires," LaValle said.

Powder stayed astatine Montreal Lake Cree Nation with different evacuees from Weyakwin, Timber Bay and Molanosa. They were treated well, but are blessed to beryllium home, adjacent if there's a spot of a mess.

"We got location and determination was ash each implicit and the location smells similar smoke, truthful I got the rug freshener and enactment it each over," Powder said.

She knows she is 1 of the fortunate evacuees. Thousands of displaced residents are inactive waiting to perceive astir their homes.

WATCH | Mother-daughter duo surviving retired of an SUV aft fleeing La Ronge fires: 

As of Thursday afternoon, determination were 27 wildfires burning successful Saskatchewan, six of them not contained, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.

"To the evacuees retired there, delight beryllium patient," Powder said. "Have religion your homes volition inactive beryllium there.

"We're praying for everybody to beryllium safe."

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.