Saskatchewan·NewThe SPSA had previously declared the Muskeg wildfire contained but said the current heat dome weather conditions have caused the fire to flare up, forcing people in the Canoe River subdivision and campers in South Bay War Veterans Park to evacuate.Campers in South Bay War Veterans Park and people in the Canoe River subdivision were asked to leave SaturdayKatie Swyers · CBC News · Posted: Aug 31, 2025 12:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes agoThe Muskeg wildfire in northwest Saskatchewan flared up over the weekend and is now considered uncontained. (Submitted by Rick Laliberte)One of Saskatchewan’s biggest wildfires flared up Saturday, prompting local officials to ask people to leave areas near the northern village of Île-à-la-Crosse, roughly 375 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency had previously declared the Muskeg wildfire contained last week, but the agency says that because of the current heat dome weather conditions, “many areas of the fire have surfaced this week.” That fire is already responsible for burning 145,000 hectares of land this summer.On Saturday afternoon, the SPSA asked campers in South Bay War Veterans Park to leave by 8 p.m. citing weather conditions and concerns about unfavourable winds. Local officials asked people in the Canoe River subdivision to leave their properties. In a Saturday afternoon Facebook post, acting mayor of the northern village of Île-à-la-Crosse Vince Ahenakew said the SPSA was setting up sprinkler systems at Canoe River and surrounding areas. The fire later breached Highway 155 at Canoe River and closed sections of the highway between Buffalo Narrows and the Beauval area. Highway 155 has since re-opened, according to the province’s Highway hotline, but there is “low visibility due to wildfires and smoke.” Highway 165, east of the northern village of Beauval near the intersection with Highway 910, closed Sunday morning due to fire crossing the road and is currently barricaded. According to the SPSA’s website, crews will prioritize areas near the Beauval tower, the Pinehouse junction and south of the community of Patuanak. ABOUT THE AUTHORKatie Swyers is a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan, based in Regina. She is a 2021 Joan Donaldson Scholar and has previously worked for CBC Podcasts, CBC’s Marketplace, CBC’s network investigative unit, CBC Toronto, CBC Manitoba and as a chase producer for Canada Tonight on CBC News Network. You can reach her at katie.swyers@cbc.ca.
Muskeg wildfire flares up near northern village of Île-à-la-Crosse over Labour Day long weekend
