Central Saskatchewan community reviews wildfire strategy after devastating summer AURORATOTO GROUP

As more wildfires get controlled around Saskatchewan, many communities are looking back at this past summer. With devastating losses and several evacuations, people are starting to wonder if more could have been done to lessen the severity of these fires.

The Shoe fire was one of the biggest wildfires in Saskatchewan this summer, burning more than 500,000 hectares of land. As of Sept. 3, this fire is still listed as not contained.

Candle Lake was one of the many communities affected by the Shoe fire, and now that it does not currently pose a threat, they are reviewing their fire response.

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Chief administrative officer for Candle Lake, Brent Lutz, said revisions are being made to the emergency operation plan based on this year’s fire. They are expecting to propose these revisions to city council before the end of September.

Lutz added that the community has also been surveyed to collect responses on how they thought the fire was dealt with.

Steve Roberts, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) vice-president, said they will also be conducting reviews to implement changes to improve fire response.

In a statement to Global News, the SPSA says, “The Agency conducts an after-action review at the end of each season, meets with local communities and leadership to support prevention and mitigation efforts, invests in resources and new technology, such as aircraft, and expands mutual aid agreements with international partners.”

Watch the video above to find out more about changes being made at Candle Lake, and tips on how residents can better protect their homes during an wildfire.