Sask. lake village plans defensive strategy as wildfire approaches

(Courtesy: Penny Zelensky)

Provincial officials are setting up an incident command centre in the Resort Village of Candle Lake as nearby wildfires continue to escalate.

Two fires, dubbed the Shoe and Camp fires, have had the northeastern Saskatchewan lake community on edge for weeks, prompting a series of pre-evacuation alerts as firefighters struggled to contain the spread in often dry and windy conditions.

Now, the two wildfires have merged, growing to over 216,000 hectares in size as of 11:25 a.m. Tuesday.

In response, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) moved its incident command centre to the village as officials develop a defensive strategy against the now combined Shoe fire.

“Due to the escalating Camp and Shoe fires, last night between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) moved their Incident Command Centre, previously located at Lower Fishing Lake, to the Resort Village community grounds,” the resort village said in a news release Monday night.

By Monday morning, the fire was just 21 kilometres away from Candle Lake, and the village fire chief is asking the public safety agency to approve work on a fire break — clearcutting a line of trees to create a buffer between the community and the encroaching flames.

If approved, the fire break would run from Minowukaw along Highway 120 toward the Highway 265 junction, the SPSA said.

“Our goal is to be fully prepared to protect the Resort Village subdivisions and our neighbours if threatened by wildfire,” said Jim Arnold, fire chief for the Resort Village of Candle Lake.

“Building this buffer may one of the only things that saves our community, but we need the support of the SPSA to complete the work.”

About 125 people are working in the command centre, with village staff providing support and meals for the crews, the news release said.

The village says multiple areas nearby have already evacuated, and closures are in effect on Highways 106, 120, 912 and 913.

A Saskatchewan hunting guide shared shocking video of the fire along Highway 106 over the weekend, which is just east of Candle Lake and runs north toward the gem lakes — a scenic provincial park site devastated by fire earlier this month.

“Went up to bear camp yesterday to try [to] get some stuff out before the fire took it all and we were an hour too late,” White Gull Outfitters said on Facebook.

“The devastation this fire has caused along the Hansen lake road is unimaginable.”

Candle Lake Fire Chief Jim Arnold, Mayor Colleen Lavoie and an SPSA official are providing an update on the fire response Tuesday morning.

-More details to come...