Buffalo Narrows declares state of emergency, issues evacuation notices

Many people living in the village of Buffalo Narrows are being asked to evacuate as wildfires continue to burn south of the community.

The village declared a state of local emergency Sunday afternoon and issued evacuation notices for people at a higher risk of health complications from smoke inhalation.

In a release from the village, Mayor Sandy Ericson issued a Level 1 evacuation for residents with chronic health conditions and elders, and a Level 2 evacuation for pregnant women and children under the age of two.

Buses began to evacuate people to Lloydminster from the community at around 2 p.m. Sunday, while residents were also given the option to evacuate on their own.

SaskPower’s outage map confirmed Monday morning power still hasn’t returned to the community after power lines caught fire Sunday evening.

According to NASA, the fire has grown to over 25,000 hectares in size from the just under 10,000 hectares it was 24 hours prior.

The fire is continuing to spread at an incredible rate, having jumped Highway 155 — the only road to the community from the south — Sunday morning.

— With files from paNOW’s Logan Lehmann