Act of God : Power restored to northeast after a week in the dark - Prince Albert Daily Herald paherald.sk.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from paherald.sk.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Public safety agency says Prince Albert wildfire now contained
About 8,000 homes in northern Saskatchewan remain without power as of Thursday afternoon.
Communities such as La Ronge, Air Ronge, Stanley Mission and Montreal Lake have been without electricity since Monday due to a fire burning northeast of Prince Albert.
According to SaskPower, the Cloverdale Fire has destroyed 15 power pole structures causing the large-scale outages.
SaskPower crews have been working on the damaged infrastructure since Wednesday but corporation spokesperson Joel Cherry said they have run into some delays.
“We’ve experienced some equipment issues and we have had to contend with some extremely difficult boggy terrain around some of the structures and we’ve had some trac machines get stuck,” he said. “So, because of this we’ve had to adjust our estimated restore time to eight o’clock this (Thursday) evening. We have all the necessary equipment and materials on site. So, it’s just a m
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Fire Chief Kris Olsen speaks to the media just inside Prince Albert city limits on Thursday, May 20. Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
You could see the relief on Prince Albert Fire Chief Kris Olsen’s face Thursday afternoon, as emergency crews took a much-needed breather and prepared to allow evacuees back into their homes.
Hwy 55 opened to traffic at reduced speeds at 5 p.m., allowing residents from the RM of Buckland and City of Prince Albert to access their properties. Olsen said it’s a proud moment for the City’s firefighters, some of whom battled the Cloverdale Fire for up to 40 hours straight before it was contained.
Cloverdale Fire Near Prince Albert Considered Contained, Some Evacuees Can Return Home gx94radio.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gx94radio.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Cloverdale fire - Submitted photo
Roughly two-thirds of the Cloverdale Fire burning northeast of Prince Albert is contained, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, but weather conditions continue to pose a problem.
High wind speeds, and shifting wind directions, have created a challenging situation throughout Wednesday. As of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 65 per cent of the fire was considered contained. Crews are still on scene, and a precautionary evacuation alert has been put in place for residents living east of Hwy 2, west of Cloverdale Rd., and south of Township Rd.
The Ministry of Highways has added extra staff to keep the Cecil Ferry running 24 hours a day. The new hours are in effect until further notice.