By Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The World-Spectator
June 9, 2025
The province needs rain, lots of it, and soon. That’s the message Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency Vice President of Operations Steve Roberts told reporters in an update on the wildfire situation last week.
“We’ve had busy fire seasons, but not necessarily this busy, this early, with all of these complications occurring at the same time,” he said. “If we compare the month of May, the number of fires, the activity of the fire, and the size and complexity of fires, and by that, I mean where they’re occurring next to communities, it has probably been the most difficult fire season for me that I’ve experienced in 21 years.”
As of June 4, the SPSA has reported 24 fires active in the province with 243 blazes so far this year. That’s up from the 2024 year to date of 172, and higher than the five-year average of 135. Of those 24 fires, five were listed as contained, nine not contained, eight ongoing assessment and two protecting values.
“The province has declared a state of emergency because of the wildfire situation,” Roberts said. “We have also imposed a fire ban and a full ban prohibiting ATV and UTV use in all areas of the provincial forest to the northern border.”
The ban on all-terrain vehicles is in response to the extremely dry conditions as even travelling across dry grass can spark a fire.
As a result of the fires, numerous road closures have been declared throughout the province, and Roberts reminds travellers to refer to the Highway Hotline for updated travel information.
“That is where you should go immediately before you leave,” he said. “Things can change, so checking it in the morning, things could be drastically different by two in the afternoon. Be sure to return to that site to check before you travel.”
Wildfires of concern
The largest wildfire In Saskatchewan right now is the uncontained Shoe fire near Lower Fishing Lake. At 471,000 hectares, the fire has shut down area highways.
“The communities of Lower Fishing Lake, Little Bear, East Trout Lake and Whelan Bay have all been impacted and have evacuations due to this fire,” Roberts said.
The Jay Smith fire near Missinipe is around 88,000 hectares in size and impacting Highway 2 north with smoke. Brabant Lake continues to be at risk of evacuation, and the fire is currently protecting values.
The Ditch02 fire near Weyakwin—which is also not contained—has grown to over 70,000 hectares and is directly impacting Highway 2 north.
“There is highway warnings, restrictions and guided traffic,” Roberts said. “It has closed highway 969, the communities of Weyakwin, Molanosa. Ramsey Bay and Timber Bay all have been evacuated due to this fire.”
West of La Ronge is the uncontrolled Pisew fire estimated at 141,000 hectares in size, and is impacting Highways 102 and 910.
“The communities of Air Ronge, Sucker River, Wadin Bay, English Bay, Nemeiben Lake, and Lac La Ronge are all on evacuation notice due to this fire,” Roberts said. “We also have an impact to SaskPower and SaskTel infrastructure north of that site. Currently, they are seeking to address the issues with the power outages and the communication outages that have occurred.”
The Wolf fire near Danare Beach grew significantly last week to 71,000 hectares, with the not-contained blaze affecting Highway 6.
“It led to the full evacuation of Denare Beach, and it has also led to the full evacuation of the Foran mine site and all of its staff,” Roberts said.
Another nearby uncontrolled fire is the Pelican2 north of Pelican Narrows, which is impacting Highway 135 between that community and Sandy Bay. At 20,000 hectares, Pelican Narrows and Jan Lake are on evacuation.
The 60,000 hectare Club fire north of Creighton is also not controlled, with 17,000 hectares of the blaze in Saskatchewan.
“We are directly working with the Manitoba government in the response under a joint command system to address this fire and the threat it poses to Creighton, Denare Beach and Flin Flon,” Roberts said.
Currently, there are 34 evacuations in place right now with estimates of up to 15,000 people displaced because of the wildfires.
“Our estimate of values that have been damaged or destroyed by wildfires—that’s cabins, homes, infrastructure, vehicles—exceeds 400 and at this point, we have already documented over 220 of those,” Roberts said. “The rest are to still be determined and documented.”
Getting timely information
Access to timely and accurate information is crucial for those affected by the wildfires. Roberts clarified that anyone with questions on the evacuations can call the SPSA’s toll-free information line at 1-855-559-5502.
“There is lots of activity on the roads providing both support to these fires also to allow people to evacuate safely from these fires,” Roberts said. “If you have been asked to evacuate, kindly do so at the earliest opportunity and once evacuated—unless asked to return—please make all efforts to stay out. The traffic and the expectation of managing the fires and evacuations is problematic more so if people are not following the recommendations of their local leadership.
“In addition to that, because of the dynamic situation with smoke, fire, communication outages, access concerns, there may actually be incidents where you can drive up one hour to do something, but you may not be able to drive back out two hours later. So we really encourage folks to follow the directions of their local leadership, follow the recommendations from the Highway Hotline. It is going to make our life easier to manage these wildfires, and it will also keep the population safer as we have to manage during this critical time.”
Red Cross donations matched
In light of the massive impact from the early-season wildfires, the federal government has pledged to match donations to the Canadian Red Cross 2025 Saskatchewan Wildfires Appeal. The provincial government will also provide $15 million to the Canadian Red Cross in order to work with the SPSA to help evacuees.
“Saskatchewan people are known for coming together in times of need,” Premier Scott Moe said. “This fundraising initiative to support those impacted by the wildfires reflects the generosity shown in our province and throughout the country. We thank the Canadian Red Cross for their fundraising efforts and for providing support for evacuees as we continue to fight these wildfires.”
The donation matching will be available for 30 days, retroactive to when the appeal began on May 30. Money donated to the appeal will be used to assist people impacted by the provincial wildfires.
“This has been a devastating beginning to wildfire season in Canada and our thoughts are with those impacted by the fires,” Canadian Red Cross President and CEO Conrad Sauvé said. “The Canadian Red Cross is grateful for the generosity of people living in Canada, and to the Government of Canada for their support of people impacted by wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Red Cross is committed to providing support to people in the immediate days of the response, as well as for recovery.”
To donate to the 2025 Saskatchewan Wildfires Appeal, people can visit redcross.ca or phone 1-800-418-1111.
“I would like to express my heartfelt support for the people and the communities that are affected by wildfires across the country,” Federal Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada Eleanor Olszewski said. “As wildfires continue to impact communities across the province of Saskatchewan, we are committed to working closely with the provincial government, Indigenous leadership, and the Canadian Red Cross to ensure a coordinated and compassionate response. By matching donations to the Red Cross, we are encouraging the people of Canada to come together in support of those affected and to help communities recover and rebuild with strength and resilience.”
A similar matching-dollars plan from the federal government is in place for Manitoba, where the provincial government is also committing $15 million to their wildfire appeal.
“These wildfires in Saskatchewan have been devastating; we are seeing people uprooted, homes destroyed,” Secretary of State (Rural Development) Buckley Belanger said. “From the beginning, the Canadian Red Cross has been providing crucial support to affected people on the ground. Now, your federal government is partnering with the Red Cross and the province to match every donation they receive, so that we can make sure we get more help to those that need it most. As always, we stand ready to respond to any further requests for assistance, now and in the days ahead.”
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