A pair of forest fires in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan have caused serious issues for northern residents Tuesday.
In Saskatchewan, a fire northeast of Prince Albert has led to a local state of emergency and power outages for several northern communities. In Manitoba, the province's main highway link to the north has been closed due to nearby fires and thick smoke.
The Cloverdale fire - as it has been called by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) - has grown to almost 4,000 hectares and is burning not far from Prince Albert, north of the North Saskatchewan river about five kilometres northeast of the city. The fire includes portions in the Nisbet Provincial Forest and is considered as "not contained" by the SPSA and was first reported to authorities Sunday night. The City of Prince Albert has declared a local state of emergency and an evacuation order has been put in place for all residents working in an area north of Highway 55.
The cause of the fire is currently not known. Helicopters, ground crews and aerial firefighting equipment has been called into the area to try and kill off the blaze. No injuries have been reported.
North of Prince Albert, electricity has been cut off due to the fire for large swaths of northern Saskatchewan, ranging from Spruce Home and Christopher Lake all the way up to La Ronge, Stanley Mission and Southend. According to SaskPower, electricity will not be fully restored until at least Wednesday.
"Crews have located several fire-damaged structures on a major transmission line, some burnt to the ground. Active fire in the area is posing safety and logistical challenges and we are unable to provide an ETR [estimated time of restoration]. Majority of customers impacted will likely be without power until tomorrow at the earliest," reads a SaskPower update issued Tuesday afternoon.
Manitoba
On the eastern side of the provincial border, Manitoba is having its own issues with a wildfire. A pair of large fires burning around Lake St. Martin have caused a long stretch of Highway 6 - running from the junction with Highway 60 to the St. Martin Junction - to be temporarily closed, according to the provincial highways ministry. The closure was announced at 1 p.m. Tuesday and it is unknown how long the closure may last for.
The fires are burning to the east and west of Highway 6 according to Manitoba Sustainable Development data, with the larger of the two fires burning west of the highway around the shore of Lake Winnipegosis. That fire, called "EA044" in provincial data, is over 12,000 hectares in size, has been burning since May 12 and is considered to be "out of control" by Manitoba Sustainable Development. A construction camp near the fire has been evacuated and officials add that the nearby community of Homebrook may also be evacuated. Other communities near the fire, like Skownan First Nation, Waterhen, Mallard and Gypsumville, may be impacted by smoke from the fire. The fire is considered to be human-caused.
"A perimeter had been established, but the fire pushed past the perimeter in two spots and with current hot, windy conditions, there are significant concerns about the fire expanding today. Ground crews have regrouped to a safer position and will be taking further action on this fire today," reads a provincial government news release on the blaze.
The second fire, burning near the community of Lake St. Martin, is over 1,000 hectares and has been burning since May 12. This fire - officially titled the "EA042" fire - is considered to have been human-caused. The fire has is considered by provincial authorities to have been the product of two smaller fires combining through strong winds.
Two other roads in southern Manitoba - Highway 5 and Public Road 307 - have also been closed Tuesday due to heavy smoke.
"Manitobans are reminded to avoid wildfire areas, and not to congregate on roadways to watch or take pictures of a fire or firefighting efforts. This practice is extremely dangerous and makes it more difficult for crews to do their job. There is no backcountry travel allowed in the area south of the 53rd parallel at this time, and a number of other fire and travel restrictions remain in effect," reads a provincial news release issued May 18.
