Saskatchewan·NewA mandatory evacuation order was issued for Beauval and English River First Nation on Thursday afternoon due to fears of heavy smoke and unpredictable winds.Wildfire about 10 km from Beauval as of Thursday morningChris Edwards · CBC News · Posted: Jul 03, 2025 3:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes agoThis file photo from early June shows the Pisew wildfire looming over La Ronge, Sask. A new wildfire was about 10 kilometres from Beauval, Sask., Thursday morning. (The Canadian Press/HO-Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency)The northwest Saskatchewan communities of Beauval and English River First Nation have issued mandatory evacuation orders in response to nearby wildfires. Poor internet connection? CBC Lite is our low-bandwidth website. Beauval, a town about 350 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, announced on Thursday afternoon that the risk of heavy smoke and unpredictable wind patterns forced it to upgrade a priority evacuation order to a mandatory one.A wildfire was about 10 kilometres from the town Thursday morning. The town said it didn’t believe there was an immediate threat of the fire approaching the town, but that heavy smoke is expected.”What we’re predicting is going to happen here in the next little bit with the wind shift is that now our community is going to be covered with smoke, which is going to cause a lot of health issues for those even with good health,” said Nick Daigneault, who is co-ordinating the evacuation.”We have an opportunity here to get people out of the community in a safe, calm manner and really plan it strategically.”Daigneault estimated that about 700 people live in the community, and that between 80 and 90 people left on Wednesday. “That’s barely over 10 per cent. So we’re trying to get that to be at least 50 per cent or more today,” he said.Evacuees being taken to SaskatoonA charter bus bound for Saskatoon left the community at 9 a.m. CST on Thursday morning. A second is planned to leave at 5 p.m. CST.The town’s muster point is the Travelodge in Saskatoon. Daigneault said he’s encouraging everyone in the community to register with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency so that they can access accommodation services when they arrive.English River First Nation, just north of Beauval, also issued a mandatory evacuation order Thursday.The other nearby communities of La Lac Plonge and Bear Creek are also under priority evacuation orders.The SPSA said there were currently 66 active wildfires in the province as of early Thursday afteenoon. Only nine were listed as contained.Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources: Current evacuation orders. Interactive Sask. active fire map. Fire danger map. Fire bans. Environment and Climate Change Canada weather alerts. Sask. Highway Hotline. Smoke forecast. Air quality. Tracking wildfires across Canada. ABOUT THE AUTHORChris Edwards is a reporter at CBC Saskatchewan. Before entering journalism, he worked in the tech industry.
Beauval and English River First Nation issue mandatory wildfire evacuation orders
