Fort McMurray smoke still lingers in La Loche, Sask.

The mammoth Fort McMurray fire hasn't reached Saskatchewan borders, but the smoke and ash have descended upon the northern part of the province.

These unfavourableconditions haveprompted Environment Canada to issueair quality warnings to many communities, including La Loche, Sask.

Falling ash and fluctuating smoke have prompted locals to remain indoors with the windows shut, said Bruce Ruelling, who is atown councillor in La Loche.

Knees are getting tender from asking for some help to get some rain here.- Bruce Ruelling

"Smoke will goover top of us as looking like strange clouds, and then at different times of the day it will settledown, I think partly because of the moisture in thethe air over the lake, and then it willcome into town fairly thick,"Ruelling said.

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He estimated there has beenfour to five hours of consistentheavy smoke during the recent days.

Lessons from last year

The smoke comes and goes, but Ruelling said ithasn't been as bad as last year.

La Loche was one of the communities greatly affected by Saskatchewan's unprecedented 2015 wildfire season.

The flames forced more than 13,000 northern Saskatchewan residents from their homes.

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"People have learned quite a bit from last year, the things we went through last year," Ruelling said.

Like many La Loche residents, he is using the HEPA air filter he acquired last year to help filter smoke inside his home.

It's not just those currently in the community who have been affected by the fire. According to Ruelling, more than 100 people from La Loche were working in Fort McMurrayor at least they were until the blaze forced a mandatory evacuation.

Beyond the people, the town councillor extended his concerns to the wildlife that may be affected by the Fort McMurray fire fallout.

"Certain species of fish tend to surface feed just as goldfish do," he said. "I'm a little bit concerned about the ashes coming down."

Looking forward

Like most Prairie people,Ruelling would be grateful for rain.

"Knees are getting tender from asking for some help to get some rain here," he said.

There isn't much precipitation in La Loche's near future, aside from the low possibility of light showers.

The town councillor said with the current dry, windy conditions the light showers wouldn't even be comparable to a garden hose.

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However, he noted low temperatures have been forecasted and the cool conditionswill help. The community has been watching the neighbouring fire situation closely.

For La Loche, natural means of protection are in place.

Lac La Loche acts as a largefire barrier to the west, Ruelling said, adding the surrounding areas burned in 2015 will protect the community because they are now devoid of the fuels the fire needs to thrive.

Fire bans successful

On the weekend, provincial fire commissioner Duane McKay noted fires bans have been successful. More than 100 municipal bans were implemented due to the tinder dry conditions.

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"A couple of days ago, we were averaging 75 to 80 calls per day. These are calls that required a response from a municipal or First Nations fire department to handle immediate threats due to wildfire," McKay said.

He said the number of calls dropped to eight on Saturday.

As of Monday morning, Saskatchewan has had 137 wildfires that's 41 more than this time last year.