With a lot of effort and a little help from the weather, the province is in a “much more confident position” regarding two major wildfires that have caused more than 1,000 evacuations in north-central Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe said Monday.
“It’s not a position of confidence,” Moe emphasized during an update hosted by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), but “we’re in a stronger position today than maybe we were four days ago.”
Cayford Fire Near Manitoba Border
The first wildfire, known as the Cayford fire, remains uncontained and is burning at approximately 11,500 hectares in the vicinity of Red Earth and Shoal Lake Cree Nations near the Manitoba border. According to Bryan Chartrand of the SPSA, 560 evacuees from Red Earth and 258 from Shoal Lake have been relocated, along with 117 evacuated vehicles for which the Red Cross is counting passengers.
“We have crews, aircraft, and dozers currently working on that fire,” Chartrand said. “We did get a dozer line and restricted the growth to the north side of that fire, and we’re continuing to reinforce that line so that it doesn’t impact the road just north of that fire. But southeast winds have fanned the flames on its west side.”
Crews have been setting up “values protection” to safeguard property from damage. Despite many cabins on the west side of the Cayford fire, no structures had been lost as of Tuesday.
Lobstick Fire Between Duck Lake and Prince Albert
The second wildfire, the Lobstick fire, is holding relatively steady at approximately 19,000 acres in the area between Duck Lake and Prince Albert. The Rural Municipality of Shellbrook, near Moe’s home community, has seen about 130 evacuations and minimal structural damage. Natural water bodies are helping to keep the fire away from more populated areas.
“Fortunately we did receive some precipitation over the fire over the weekend, which assisted with our suppression efforts,” Chartrand said. “So that did give us a good operational period Sunday to establish lines, get dozer lines in and bolster our response, and so we’ve experienced very minimal growth to the fire on Sunday.”
However, Chartrand noted that “it’s less likely that we’re going to receive any precipitation on that eastern side” in regards to the Cayford fire.
Ongoing Efforts and Calls for Review
Crews continue to battle the flames. Residents in affected areas are encouraged to stay informed by downloading and using SaskAlert along with other community platforms. The latest wildfires come one year after the devastating fire that destroyed more than 200 homes in the northern village of Denare Beach.
The NDP continued its calls for the release of a review into last year’s wildfire response. The province last year said on multiple occasions that the “comprehensive” report, conducted by MNP, would be “concluded prior to the 2026 wildfire season.” On Monday, NDP Leader Carla Beck said Moe’s government “ducks accountability and ignores the very people that elected it at every turn.”
