‘If a fire gets in here, I don’t know where it stops’: Candle Lake resident

“It’s a time of uncertainty, for sure, for everybody,” said Candle Lake’s Ron Sowinski. He’s a resident who works at the Pro Shop on the Candle Lake Golf Course.

“We live up here full time, so we’ve got our bags packed and vehicles pointed in the right direction, and if we get the word, we’ll be out of here. ,” he said.

Last year, their main office and restaurant had a fire and they are still waiting to hear news regarding the rebuild. “We’re sort of limping along as it is, and then as the golf course, because we were waiting for that (main office) building.”

Candle Lake Golf Course is no stranger to fire, as its restaurant and main office were hit last year. May 28, 2025 (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

The Camp Fire is currently the largest fire in the province, having charred 44,000 hectares since it started on May 6. The fire has destroyed at least four cabins so far.

“If a fire gets in here. I don’t know where it stops,” Sowinski said. “Here’s lots of old growth forest around, if a fire gets in there and gets into a subdivision, it’s moving to the next subdivision, and then we’ll be a real mess.”

Candle Lake. May 28, 2025 (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

For now, their sprinklers go every night — trying to keep the course as wet as they can.

The sprinklers at the Candle lake golf course are going every night as wildfires grow in northern Saskatchewan. May 28, 2025 (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

As the Resort Village of Candle Lake prepares for a possible evacuation, the community’s mayor is praising residents for remaining calm and doing whatever they can to help in the face of an encroaching wildfire.

Mayor Colleen Lavoie said the resort village is currently under a pre-evacuation alert, and while the order to leave has not been issued yet, things could change quickly with a large wildfire burning about 20 kilometres away.

Read More:

• Residents hoping to save cabins fighting wildfires themselves; Candle Lake asks for SPSA support
• List of losses and evacuations due to wildfires in the north grows
• SPSA resources stretched thin, firefighters forced to evacuate as Camp and Shoe fires merge

Candle Lake Mayor Colleen Lavoie outside the resort village’s fire hall on May 28, 2025. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

Lavoie said the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s crews are fighting the fire, and the agency will notify her and the rest of the village if an evacuation order is issued.

“We know the fire is to the east of us here, and it is a big one,” Lavoie told 650 CKOM.

“It’s probably at least four times the size of the city of Saskatoon, so it’s a monster.”

Lavoie said residents are packing up their belongings, and some have already begun moving their valuables out of the community.

“Last night there was a steady stream of boats and trailers and Ski-Doos going south,” the mayor said.

“For the people who are non residents, who have cabins and RVs parked, trailers, I know many of them are coming to get their personal things, or to haul out what they can, and this is the time to do that. Once the evacuation starts it’s going out, not coming in to get (belongings).”

According to the public safety agency, there were 17 active wildfires burning in various locations around Saskatchewan on Wednesday morning. Ten of them were listed as not contained. (Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency/Screenshot)

She advised anyone who needs assistance to contact the village, as there is “a huge contingent of volunteers” ready to help out. She said community members have been working to feed the firefighters and ensure they stay as comfortable as possible, while also planning the construction of a firebreak and assisting any residents who need help.

“The people here are amazing,” Lavoie said. “They’re calm, they are smart. The seniors who live here are here because they want to be here, and they’re here to assist this community.”

Despite the threat from the encroaching blaze, Lavoie said she feels “quite calm” and ready for whatever comes next.

“You couldn’t live in a better place,” she said. “We just have to calmly think about next steps.”

According to the public safety agency, there were 17 active wildfires burning in various locations around Saskatchewan on Wednesday morning. Ten of them were listed as not contained.

So far this year, Saskatchewan has seen 205 wildfires, 60 more than the same date in 2024 and well ahead of the five-year average of 125.

Mark and Michelle Matlock have had a cabin at Candle Lake since 1994, and lived in the community full time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, the couple was working on some measures to keep their home safe in the event a fire does reach the community.

“I’m building a sprinkler system for the roof of the house that I can run off my Rain Bird system – my irrigation system – so I can control it from an app on my phone, and even if we’re not here and we get evacuated I can turn it on at a moment’s notice,” Mark said.

Candle Lake residents Michelle and Mark Matlock are installing a sprinkler system on the roof of their home in case a wildfire reaches the community. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

“We’ve got our motorhome behind the house here, and we’re just loading it up with stuff, so we’ll have what we need to survive for a while.”

Michelle said they’re packing up “everything that’s meaningful to us” like photographs, wedding rings and other valuables. While wildfires have caused issues in the area in years past, she said this is the biggest threat she’s experienced.

“The helicopters are right behind our place. That’s where they’ve been refuelling, so we’ve been watching everything that’s been going on,” she said.

“We’re just going to wait and hope and pray that we get some rain and the winds go the right way.”

Mark said he’d be devastated if the fire reached his house.

“Our home here was a custom-built retirement home, and we spent about five years building it,” he said. “It would take a lot out of us, and I don’t know if I could have the energy to do it again.”

Debe Billay said she’s had a cabin at Candle Lake for 19 years, but built a new home in the villiage just last year.

On Wednesday she was packing up in case an evacuation is ordered.

“It’s pretty scary,” she said. “You don’t know what to take. Obviously we’re not going to take all our furniture – just the stuff we can’t replace.”

She said the smoke has improved since Tuesday, but the glow from the wildfire is visible from her dock in the evening.

Greg White, another resident, said he’s feeling nervous about the situation.

“I have confidence that our firefighters will do their thing, but in the event that something goes wrong I’m taking stuff away,” he said.

“Some are taking stuff away, and others are choosing to believe that everything will be OK. I’m just not taking the risk.”

Have you been affected by the wildfires in Saskatchewan? If you have a story to tell or pictures to share, please contact our newsroom at 1-877-332-8255 or webnews@rawlco.com.

–with files from 650 CKOM’s Mia Holowaychuk