Arjun Pillai
Daily Herald
Officials in the Resort Village of Candle Lake are urging residents and visitors to voluntarily evacuate as a massive wildfire continues to move closer to the lakeside community.
The fire, known as the Shoe Fire, remains less than 14 kilometres away and is currently advancing at a rate of about 400 metres per day, according to Brent Lutz, Chief Administrative Officer.
“It was moving less than half a kilometre per day. Now it’s probably moving faster in the other direction, to the northeast, despite winds blowing against it,” Lutz said.
While no mandatory evacuation has been issued, the Resort Village declared a state of emergency on Monday to streamline decision-making and unlock access to disaster relief funding.
“It allows us to act more quickly, and avoid going through our usual processes.” Lutz explained. “We’ve started to encounter extraordinary costs just responding to the potential risk of the fire.”
He emphasized that a mandatory evacuation is not currently required, but the village continues to ask people to leave proactively.
“As long as we have people here, our first priority is public safety,” he said. “Fewer people here means more resources to protect property.”
Roughly 200 to 300 dwellings remain occupied in the village, about 10 percent of total properties, with an estimated 400 to 500 people still present. The village is tracking real-time numbers through daily voluntary registration.
Meanwhile, crews are busy with values protection efforts, installing sprinkler systems around neighbourhoods and building perimeters.
“They started at the northeast side of the lake and are working their way clockwise around the community,” Lutz said.
Work is also underway to complete a firebreak on the east side of Highway 120, currently 50 percent done. The goal is to reduce fuel and slow the fire’s advance, giving crews a chance to set up suppression tactics before flames reach populated areas.
No structural damage has been reported within the village.
“We’re aware of the toll fires have taken on other communities in Saskatchewan,” Lutz said. “We’re doing our best with the resources we have.”
Residents can register their status on the Candle Lake website or call the village office at 306-929-2236.
“If anyone has nowhere to go, we ask them to call us. We’ll do our best to connect them with support,” said Lutz.
Updates are posted twice daily on the village’s website and Facebook page.
