From the La Ronge Emergency Operations Centre:
A thick smoke blanketed the La Ronge area as firefighting crews continue to hold the Egg fire from getting much closer to La Ronge.
But as one local leader noted, we’ve been going at it full out for three days, and haven’t knocked the fire backwards one inch, either.
Smoke meant the air action limited, but ground crews kept up the pushing and hosing through alternating muskeg to the west and rugged terrain to the northeast.
And fire department units were busy in places where they have been battling for days. The fire has already been through Lamp Lake and Five Mile Hill days ago, but not everything burned the first time, and hot spots still flared up.
Tired personnel are switching out for replacements, and tired equipment needs servicing, including valuable water pumps.
As preventative measures, bulldozer lines have been completed around the south end of Far Reserve of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. Sprinklers and retardant have been laid along Bigstone Road, about 2.5 km south of the Egg fire.
A spray truck laid retardant along a section of Highway 915, as the Lynx fire has closed the road to Stanley Mission, but a planned backburn was not carried out because conditions were not right.
And a wildfire unit with helicopters has been relocated to Grandmother’s Bay, with the Brian fire to the north and the Bob fire to the south.
The destruction of homes and other property is not announced until it is confirmed by the local authority and the owner is informed directly. To date in the La Ronge region, there has been confirmation of only three homes burned at Wadin Bay earlier this week, and one at Sikachu from a few weeks ago.
Highway 165 is closed westwards towards Besnard, isolating Pinehouse, and east of Highway 912, the Wapawekka Road.
For more information, monitor MBC radio, Town of La Ronge website, and the social media sites of local leadership including https://www.facebook.com/town.laronge or https://www.facebook.com/TammyCookSearson
Other inquiries can be made to larongecommandcentre@gmail.com, or for urgent matters to 306-425-8869.