Over 1,300 Sask. residents displaced by fires as Shellbrook blaze cools down

The Lobstick wildfire burns south of Shellbrook, Sask. in this Saturday, May 30, 2026 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (Mandatory Credit)

Over 1,300 Saskatchewan residents remain out of their homes as two wildfires continue to spread in northern areas of the province.

Bryan Chartrand with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says the Cayford fire, northeast of Saskatoon near the Manitoba boundary, is burning vigorously.

The agency says the fire has forced out about 1,200 residents from two First Nations communities due to concerns involving smoke and road access.

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Another blaze near the Rural Municipality of Shellbrook, about an hour north of Saskatoon, has forced out 130 residents.

Chartrand says the Lobstick fire saw minimal growth over the weekend and rain is expected later this week in the area.

As the pace of that fire slowed Sunday, Chartrand says crews were able to move in some bulldozers to clear fuel out and establish fire breaks.

He says a chicken coop, shed and trailer were scorched in the blaze but crews have made progress to prevent the flames from threatening other communities.

Premier Scott Moe, who hails from the Shellbrook area, says provincial firefighters are working hard to keep the blaze from reaching the North Saskatchewan River.

Fuel is plentiful along the shoreline and could pose a real danger to valuable farms and acreages running along the river, he said.

“We wanted to prevent this fire ever having an opportunity to take a run as it has ample fuel alongside the river ... as it heads into Prince Albert, and we all know the communities and the acreages that are in that space,” he said.

Moe told a virtual news conference Monday the province is in a stronger position than it was last week.

“I think it would be fair to say that we’re in, with a little bit of weather, a lot of effort ... not a position of confidence, but we’re in a much more confident position than we have been in over the course of the weekend,” said Moe.

“(But) we have some more work to do.”

Moe took several opportunities to thank the provincial firefighters, local governments working to keep people’s homes safe from the flames, and the volunteers who supported their efforts.

“Big, big thanks and much love to so many people that did so very much over the course of the weekend and in the last week or two,” he said.

-With files from The Canadian Press’ Jeremy Simes