Wildfire that forced northern Saskatchewan residents out calmer, but still raging

Mother Nature has calmed the flames of a wildfire that’s forced out some residents of a northern Saskatchewan community.

Christine Strube, the reeve of the Rural Municipality of Shellbrook No. 493, says the wildfire was still burning across roughly 19,000 hectares of forest, located south of the municipality’s border, as of Sunday afternoon.

But Strube says humid weather reduced billowing smoke on Sunday and helped crews in their fight against the blaze.

The smoke was making it difficult earlier for crews to operate water bombers.

Residents across 70 homes in the southern part of the Rural Municipality of Shellbrook were ordered out Friday night and it’s unclear when they’ll be able to return.

Strube says just before the wildfire forced residents out, Shellbrook had been working on fixing 20 roads in the community that washed out after a flood.

“We were just working on back roads for farmers to get into their fields, to get their crops, when the fire came into play,” she said Sunday.

“A fire is never convenient, but the community spirit is alive and strong.”

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is warning that daytime highs near 30 and overnight lows in the mid to high teens will continue in northern parts of the province until Tuesday. It also says smoke is causing, or is expected to cause, poor air quality and reduced visibility.