Firefighters hope a small rainfall and overcast day will help secure the La Ronge area and Highway 2 from immediate threat from the Egg fire.
Wildfire Management is not pulling any resources away from the Egg fire, wanting to use this opportunity to contain the fire line north of La Ronge, and to prevent the fire from moving south to threaten Highway 2.
Local authorities are now preparing for the eventual return of residents, but they also must make sure that services are in place to receive back a population of more than 7,000. That includes police, fire department, and the hospital. Other government services must also be available.
Officials must make sure their staff are organized and prepared, because when the population returns, it will be even busier than business as usual.
As of Tuesday morning, the fire threat has not been deemed contained, and therefore no date has been set for people to come back to Air Ronge, La Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
The rain is expected to amount to 2-5 mm on Tuesday, with more forecasted for Wednesday. That is already lessening the fire heat detected by satellite, and it will help secure the community, but it will not put all the fire out. As one firefighting specialist put it, “Two inches would really help us to knock back the edges a bit.”
Once the Egg fire threat is contained at La Ronge, Wildfire Management will be able to redirect some resources to other fires in the region, including the Lynx fire near the junction of Highways 102 and 915, and the Carey fire north of Wapawekka Lake.
Government officials have also started to assess the damage and verify destroyed cabins so that owners can be notified. The local emergency office does not yet have a report on those losses.
For more information, monitor MBC radio, and the social media sites of local leadership.
Posted on behalf of the Emergency Operations Centre for the Town La Ronge, Village of Air Ronge, and Lac La Ronge Indian Band.