Saskatchewan First Nation calls for help after community evacuated due to wildfire

The leadership of a Saskatchewan First Nation is calling for help hours after issuing an evacuation order due to an escalating nearby wildfire.

Officials with the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation are asking the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency for immediate action and accountability in response to the Flanagan fire, which has forced the evacuation of Sandy Bay.

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A statement issued Tuesday by Chief Peter Beatty and the Prince Albert Grand Council takes aim at the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, suggesting that the provincial entity is not approving the activation of hundreds of First Nations firefighters.

Beatty says not utilizing such an available and qualified resource is a serious oversight that endangers lives and communities.

The last update from the SPSA said the blaze was estimated to be about 130 square kilometres in size and was burning within 20 kilometres of the community.

The First Nation has more than 12,000 members across nine communities in northeastern Saskatchewan, while Sandy Bay has a population of about 1,800.