Candle Lake issues pre-evacuation alert as 3 fires burn nearby

Candle Lake, a resort village in northern Saskatchewan, has issued a pre-evacuation alert on Thursday morning as three wildfires burn in the area.

There's no immediate danger, said Jim Arnold, the village's fire chief. But residents and the many people heading to the lake for the long weekend need to be on alert.

Candle Lake is about 70 kilometres north of Prince Albert and has about 1,100 permanent residents, but in the summer the population can range from 9,000 to 15,000, according to the village's website.

"We want to make sure that we don't discourage people from coming here, but we also want them to be aware of the danger that is possible out here," Arnold said. "And we want them to … stay up to date with any ongoing situation that could get worsened, or could get better."

Two fires — named the Camp and Shoe fires — have been burning in the area since last week. A third fire, the Boot fire, started Wednesday. The closest one is 15 kilometres away, Arnold said.

Modelling provided to the local fire department by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency showed winds could push at least one of the fires closer to the village.

The village's alert advises residents to organize accommodation outside Candle Lake, make sure their vehicles are fuelled up, and prepare an emergency kit that has prescription medications, important documents, computers, valuables, personal items like toiletries and supplies for their pets.

People can check for updates on the village's website and on its Facebook page.

A "Welcome Back to the Lake" event planned for Saturday is still going ahead as planned, the alert says.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's executive director of land operations, Bryan Chartrand, gave a briefing to media on Thursday.

He said that with the long weekend approaching, and people heading north to cabins or lakes, it's important for everyone to stay vigilant.

"Fortunately enough, you know, the weather seems to be cooling down, and if there are any more incidences it won't flare up as aggressively as these current fires have been doing," said Chartrand.

"But again, I'd like to remind everybody that is going out to be diligent and cautious. The conditions are very dry."

Chartrand noted most municipalities in central Saskatchewan have fire bans in place, and the safety agency has implemented a fire ban in the northern forest — so people heading out camping should make sure they're aware whether there's a fire ban where they're going.

There were 11 wildfires burning in the province as of Thursday morning, with five classified as "not contained," including both the Shoe and Camp fires, according to the province. So far this year, there have been 155 wildfires, well ahead of the five-year average of 96.