We can finally all relax - for now. After a week straight of efforts to fight the Wilson fire, the evacuation alert for Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach has been lifted.
Firefighters from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) and from Manitoba Wildfire Service have controlled enough of the fire to prevent either of the three communities from any danger. The Northern Village of Denare Beach and Town of Creighton announced the alert for each community were lifted Friday afternoon, shortly after an update from the SPSA.
"Due to the excellent effort and hard work by the fire crews on the Wilson fire, it is now deemed safe to lift the evacuation standby advisory," reads an update from the Northern Village of Denare Beach issued July 19.
According to the SPSA, about 95 per cent of the fire's perimeter has been secured, with hot weather and difficulty accessing the fire's western flank from the ground keeping crews from securing its most remote part. Helicopters and air tankers have been hitting the fire from above.
"Although high temperatures have made conditions challenging, 95 per cent of the fire perimeter has been secured," reads an SPSA update issued July 19.
"Crews continue work along the fire line supplemented by helicopter and air tanker support with the goal of 100 per cent containment and extinguishing hotspots further into the interior of the perimeter once secured."
Helicopters, air tankers and Type 1, 2 and 3 fire crews from Saskatchewan, as well as Type 1 crews from Manitoba, are being used to fight the fire. The blaze, according to SPSA data, has still impacted 330 hectares of area between Creighton and Denare Beach and is still considered to be "not contained".
Local fire bans in all three communities are still in place and each community is under an Environment Canada heat warning. Daytime highs Friday were well inside the 30-degree range, with more hot weather expected Saturday and at times next week. In addition, the area has a 30 per cent chance of showers later Friday, overnight and into Saturday.
Air quality in Flin Flon and area has been lousy Friday with smoke blowing into the area from Saskatchewan and Alberta. The smoke has led both Creighton and Denare Beach leadership to open up clean air shelters at the Creighton Sportex and the DenarePlex for anyone with health issues or trouble breathing. According to air quality monitoring service AQICN, Flin Flon has an air quality index of 151 - enough to be considered "unhealthy".
