Shoe fire nearing Candle Lake

The largest fire burning in the province could reach Candle Lake within the next three to 10 days.

That’s according to a public notice issued by the resort village.

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The Shoe Fire has so far charred more than 471,00 hectares and is currently 11 kilometres away from Candle Lake. It is currently closest to the Minowukaw subdivision.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) has not issued a mandatory evacuation order for the community, but the resort village said residents should be prepared to leave if necessary.

A view of the firebreak being built at Candle Lake. (Eric Schmalz/Facebook)

A firebreak is being constructed and rain is expected tomorrow, but today firefighters will begin going door to door to complete “FireSmart” activities in yard sites, beginning in Minowukaw.

“They will be moving firewood, furniture, toys and any other flammable materials away from homes,” a daily update from the community explained. “This work will be done neatly and in an orderly fashion. Items will be placed on your lot a safe distance from your buildings.”

The resort village also has requested 100 trained firefighters to assist with the FireSmart activities. There is already a wildfire response team working on some properties on behalf of private insurance companies.

The resort village said the SPSA will likely open an incident command centre in the community hall as early as Friday, depending on the fire situation.

The Pisew Fire, west of La Ronge, is 152,326 hectares is size. Crews will continue working on hot spots near the communities and supporting the La Ronge group. Posts on social media showed the fire right behind the La Ronge fire base, threatening the industrial area in town.

The SPSA said crews will be placed in strategic locations to limit fire spread south of Highway 165. Heavy equipment groups are co-ordinating with the local fire department and providing structural protection.

A wildfire is threatening the industrial area of La Ronge, near the town’s fire base. (Jim Tammy Cook-Searson/Facebook)

In a post on social media, Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson said Highway 102 south of Stanley Mission is closed due to wildfire activity, and no public travel is permitted in the area. Northbound travel past Weyakwin is restricted to essential services only. Early Friday morning, she reported that the fire had reached Clam Bridge and was moving North East.

“We lost a house and the bridge at Clam Bridge. Please be safe,” Cook-Searson wrote.

Fire destroyed the bridge at Clam Lake, southwest of La Ronge. (Jim Tammy Cook-Searson Facebook)

The Jaysmith fire, northeast of Missinipe, is 136,876 hectares in size. Crews will continue to protect property with vehicles and boats. Some firefighters will patrol the burn area while helicopters fly in the area for an initial attack on the blaze.

The Ditch02 Fire north of Weyakwin grew 5,000 hectares overnight to 95,000. A dozer line is being constructed from Highway 2 to Montreal Lake in preparation for a burn operation. The fire in the Molanosa area is expected to be fully extinguished Saturday, as well as protection of the Timber Bay area.

The Pelican2 Fire, located northeast of Pelican Narrows, is 30,428 hectares in size. Crews are extinguishing hot spots on the outskirts of the community and will work to manage the spread of the blaze along Highway 125 to Sandy Bay to maintain the highway’s open status.

The Wolf Fire west of Denare Beach didn’t grow overnight, and is still 130,822 hectares in size. With the forecasted wind shift, the SPSA said crews have redeployed value-protection units to the south side of the community of Denare Beach. SaskTel is continue to work on the cell tower there to help restore services.

The Club Fire, north of Creighton, is 60,537 hectares in size, with 17,327 hecatres burning on the Saskatchewan side of the border.

There are currently 24 active wildfires in the province. Six of them are not contained.