No relief in sight from wildfires as 20 Sask. communities under evacuation orders

Wildfires in Saskatchewan are expected to continue to grow aggressively during the next few days, fuelled by high temperatures, winds and dry conditions. And there's no sign of relief in sight, according to the latest update from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.

"This will drastically impact our ability to contain some of these fires and will actually cause some of these fires to grow in size over the next period of time," Steve Roberts, SPSA vice-president of operations, said at a news conference Sunday.

As of Sunday afternoon, 15 fires were burning in the province, down from 17 because two fires have merged and some small fires have been contained, the SPSA said. 

Roberts said 20 communities are under an evacuation order as of 1 p.m. CST Sunday. The latest evacuation orders have been in Sturgeon Landing and Timber Bay. 

Thousands of people have already been displaced from their homes in communities including Hall Lake, Pelican Narrows, Creighton, Denare Beach and Weyakwin. 

Fires continue to impact highways, restricting access to some communities. Roberts said closures are happening constantly, and people should check the Highway Hotline for the latest updates. 

He said as of Sunday, 80 values, including houses and cabins, have been lost to the wildfires. 

At a news conference in Saskatoon on Sunday, Premier Scott Moe said while provinces in Canada share resources in situations like these wildfires, a national investment in shared fire fighting forces should be considered. 

"Should we have a national investment into, for argument's sake, five, 10 or 20 air tankers that could then go into that process to be shared wherever they might be needed in whatever particular year?" Moe said. 

"Should we nationally as Canadians add to that resource pool so that all provinces and territories — and even in fairness into the U.S. in some years in California, we've seen some challenging years — be able to draw from that as a global partner?" 

Moe said on Sunday morning that Sturgeon Landing has been evacuated. The community is part of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, in the province's northeast.

Also on Sunday, the Northern Hamlet of Timber Bay issued an alert that residents must begin evacuating immediately. 

A nearby wildfire is fast-moving and threatening the community, the alert said. The community is on the east shore of Montreal Lake, north of Prince Albert.

The alert advised people to self-evacuate using highways 969 and 2, and to go to the Meridian Inn and Suites in Regina. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency "will be there to welcome you," it said.