Thousands without power as Sask. wildfire still days away from being controlled

Dry conditions and strong winds on Tuesday madethe large Cloverdale wildfire near Prince Albert, Sask., worse.

As of 4:30 p.m. local timeWednesday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) reported that the wildfire isapproximately 65 per centcontained. However,wind speeds and changing wind direction continueto makethe situation challenging.

Residents north of White Star Road are now allowed to return to their homes, according to the SPSA. Previously instated highway road closures remain in effect, as does the Prince Albert state of emergency.

The city, which is about 135 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon,saidthe flames hadforced the evacuation of at least 50 homes by lateTuesday afternoon.

An immediate evacuation order was also issued Wednesday by the nearby Rural Municipality of Garden River for the Berg subdivision. A news release says the wildfire is an immediate threat and residents "must start evacuation immediately."

Steve Roberts, vice-presidentof operations for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA),said the evacuation order affectedabout a dozenacreages.

Residents who can get out on their own are instructed to use Highway 2 South and proceed to the Margo Fournier Centre in Prince Albert.

On Wednesday evening, Prince Albert policeissued tickets to two people who were "located unlawfully inside the perimeter at the Cloverdalefire overnight Tuesday."

The areaalong Highway 55, between Prince Albert and the Pulp Haul Road, has beenevacuated due to the fast-moving fire.

The tickets were $2,000 each and issued to a man and a woman who police say they found inside the fire area and who did not live in the area.

"Residents have been evacuated and no one is being allowed to go back into the area at this time for their safety and the safety of first responders working in the area," the police force said on Facebook.

By Wednesday morning, the fire hadgrown to about 40 square kilometres and was moving east away fromPrince Albert.

Roberts said cooler temperatures are helping fire crews battling the wildfire.

Four more crews have arrived to fight the fire on the ground to assistfivehelicopters, multiple air tanker groups and heavy equipment alongside the Prince Albert Fire Department and Buckland Fire Department.

Roberts said sofar, no homes have been destroyed.

The SPSA has put up 45 evacuees in hotels in Prince Albert and is providing them withfood, clothing and other necessities.

Joan Hrycyk, the SPSA's crisis support person, said they will contactevacuees when it is safe to return home.

A City of Prince Albert new release said policeare patrolling the area.

About 8,000without power

SaskPower spokesperson Joel Cherry said about 8,000 customers are still without power, stretching from just north of Prince Albert to La Ronge, which is about 215 kilometres further north.

The rural Montreal Lake Cree Nation, located about 100kilometres north of Prince Albert, currently has no power and therefore no access to gas, water or fresh food.

In Air Ronge, about235 kilometres north of Prince Albert, cars waitedin long lines all day to get gas. Local resident Tom Roberts saidthe pumps wererunning on a generator.

Cherry said power has been restored to about 1,000customers in the rural areas between Spruce Home and Christopher Lake.

AndWednesday morning, crews were cleared to enter the fire zone where 15 power structures had been damaged.

"We need to do ground patrols there to determine the status of the conductor wires," Cherry said. "And there's still potential that fire conditions could change. But if the conductor wire's in decent shape and fire conditions don't impede us, we could potentially have the power restored in a day or so."

Late Wednesday afternoon, SaskPower released a statement saying that the estimated time power will be restored is 2 p.m. Thursday.

SaskPower says conditions have been favourable for workers, and that they are making significant progress toward repairing the damaged transmission line that serves customers north of Prince Albert.

"Once our crews got in there, we're working non-stop until the work is done. We're not going to shut down for the night or anything like that," Cherry told CBC Saskatchewan Wednesday afternoon.

"There's the rotating crews there to make sure people are working within proper fatigue management cycles."

Lindsay Mazenc, external communications manager at SaskTel, saidthere are17 cell sites that are currently running on generators because of the fire.

Some homes spared

While the fire moves northeast and threatens properties on the eastern edge of the fire, some homes closer to Prince Albert appear to have escaped relatively unscathed.

"The fire seems to have missed our place and that of our immediate neighbours," said Harold Fisher, who has a farm along Cloverdale Road northeast of Prince Albert.

He said it was tense watching the smoke creep nearer to his land, but fire crews were able to create a boundary around properties in that area.

"Just before dark, water bombers came over and dumped 20 loads of water kind of in a strip along behind our properties."

Fisher said he was able to quickly check on his property and found the power was back on.

Saskatchewan RCMP say Highway 55 is still closed from Meath Park to Prince Albert in both directions.

RCMP warn the public to avoid all major grid roads between Highways 55 and 355, as they are closed and being used by emergency agencies to transport firefighting equipment and water. Motorists are asked to use the alternate route of Highway 355 West at Meath Park and Highway 2 South.

Residents of the Cecil Ferry area can use the ferry to evacuate the area and access Prince Albert.

The road closures are expected to last until at least Wednesday evening.

Several fire departments are working on the blaze. The province has also sent three water bombers, a helicopter, spotter plane and more firefighters.

The cause of the fire is not known.

Steve Roberts said there are sixactive fires in the province, three of which are contained.

So far this year there have been 114fires, which is slightly above the average of93 fires, he said.