Sandy Bay, Sask., evacuees allowed to return home with wildfire risk reduced: Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation

The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) says residents of Sandy Bay are allowed to return home now that the wildfire threat to the northern Saskatchewan community has lessened.

Sandy Bay, a remote reserve about 474 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, ordered the evacuation on Aug. 13. That forced most of the community's 1,800 people to flee south to stay in places like Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

The First Nation says the evacuation order is over as of 8 a.m. CST Tuesday. Buses will start transporting residents back to the community on Wednesday, the PBCN said in a news release.

"The safety of our people is our top priority, and now that the conditions in Sandy Bay are stable, we want to ensure that every evacuee can return home and settle back into their daily lives," said Justin Halcrow, vice-chief of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, in a news release.

"This has been a difficult period for everyone, and we deeply appreciate the resilience of our members and the efforts of everyone involved in keeping our communities safe."

There were 1,435 registered evacuees from Sandy Bay. Officials said about 110 people remained in the community, including essential service people and those who chose not to leave. According to the First Nation, some others who left would not have officiallly registered.

Sandy Bay was threatened by the Flanagan fire, which the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency sized at about 449 square kilometres. For comparison, the city of Saskatoon is about 226.6 square kilometres.

Emergency services manager Duane Hiebert said there were a few cabins lost to the fire near Sandy Bay, but the main community was safe.

He was concerned about the land that was scorched and said the trees, some more than a century-old, will take a lifetime to regenerate. Many animals, left without food to eat, have been forced out.

"Wildlife, that trappers have relied on to earn some income, are gone now," he said.

Hiebert said there was a low enough risk, what he referred to as "acceptable risk," to allow people to return to the community. He said there is still risk, though low, that the road into the community could be compromised.

He said it took about three days to evacuate the community, and he expects it will take two to three days to bring everyone home. About 150 evacuees who fled in private vehicles have already begun returning home, he said.

"There's an awful lot of happy faces around the hotels while they were boarding the buses, and even though it's a long arduous trip back to the community of Sandy Bay, they will be extremely happy to arrive back in their homes, back into familiar surroundings," Hiebert said.

The PBCN says the community is prepared to welcome back residents. Power, potable water and other essential infrastructure are operational. The Sandy Bay Health Centre, grocery stores and gas stations are open, and there is a fresh air centre for people, according to Hiebert.

He said people on the chronic care list have also been given small air purifiers for their homes.

Residents can get care packages and essential supplies when they return.

The nearby Island Falls Power Station is also near the wildfire. In an email, SaskPower said it was not damaged and the station did not have any operational disruptions.

"We are closely monitoring the situation around the power station and will continue to do so as long as is necessary. We are still operating fire suppression sprinklers to saturate our buildings and surrounding area," wrote spokesperson Scott McGregor.

On Wednesday, buses will start transporting residents at 9 a.m. For those in private vehicles, fuel is available in Prince Albert at the Petro-Canada at 2nd Avenue W.

Sandy Bay is one of several Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation communities evacuated last month due to wildfires.

Southend, another PBCN community, was evacuated at the end of August. According to the First Nation, that evacuation order remains in place. There are 983 registered evacuees from the community staying in places like Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert.