Fort McMurray fire stalls towards Saskatchewan; no threat to communities

Saskatchewan officials say the beast that is the Fort McMurray wildfire has "stalled" and not yet crossed into the province.

The fire was initially expected to reach Saskatchewan last weekend, but shifting winds have kept it about five kilometres from the provincial boundary and more than 30 kilometres from the community of La Loche.

"Although it is burning fairly intensely, we don’t see a rapid movement," Saskatchewan emergency management commissioner Duane McKay said Wednesday.

"Every day I think we predicted that it is going to move. This fire is very large. It obviously has a mind of its own in terms of where it wants to go."

McKay said weather forecasts over the next few days suggest the wind will shift to come from the east and stop the forward movement of the fire.

Perhaps the wind will blow the fire back on itself, he said.

Officials had no prediction on when or where the fire will move.

"I don’t think anybody can really determine that, but we don’t anticipate it crossing the border in the near future — although yesterday that was a different prediction."

There has been a dramatic increase in the size of the wildfire that has already destroyed 2,400 buildings in Fort McMurray, many of them homes.

The Alberta government estimates the blaze has now covered more than 4,200 square kilometres. It has moved north and is threatening oilsands facilities.

Saskatchewan wildfire management has a large base in Buffalo Narrows, about 100 kilometres east of La Loche.

McKay said a cache of firefighting equipment is being established there in case it needs to be quickly deployed.

Kevin Murphy, acting deputy minister with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment, said ground firefighting teams have also been mobilized in La Loche.

Crews are already helping to tackle the eastern flank of the fire from the air, he said.

Murphy also said fire guards are in place around La Loche, including a nearby lake. Fires in the area last year will also help because there’s less brush and trees that could burn.

"We do not perceive a significant risk from fire to the community," said Murphy. "Smoke is our main concern from this fire at this time."

-The Canadian Press