Candle Lake Mayor Colleen Lavoie assured residents they were closely watching wildfire developments as the resort village prepares to receive hundreds of guests for Welcome Back to the Lake festivities on Saturday.
Lavoie said conditions improved slightly on Friday thanks to cooler weather and reduced winds, but the community is still under a pre-evacuation alert.
“As we head into the long weekend, I want to assure the residents of Candle Lake and visitors, that our Candle Lake Emergency Services, together with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, are closely monitoring the fires to the east of us,” Lavoie said. “I know you may be feeling unsettled; and so over the weekend, we will continue to share any new information we have as soon as it becomes available.”
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) will be at Welcome Back to the Lake to answer questions and provide the latest information. They’ll be located at the Curling Club from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Resort Village has urged attendees to watch for updates on the Candle Lake Facebook page, along with the Public Notice section of the website.
Despite the situation, Lavoie said she wishes everyone a happy long weekend.
As of Friday evening there are 10 active wildfires in Saskatchewan. The two largest fires near Candle Lake are the 32,000 hectare Camp Fire burning east of the community and the 16,000 hectare Shoe Fire burning northeast. Both fires are listed as not-contained.
The Boot Fire is also burning the area. This fire is undergoing assessment, as of Friday evening.
On Thursday, Candle Lake Fire Chief Jim Arnold said long weekend festivities were still going ahead, but he urged residents to be cautious and do their due diligence before arriving.
“Make sure you’re prepared,” Arnold said. “Make sure that you’re paying attention to the messages that could be sent out by the village, so monitor the Facebook page the village has and monitor the Candle Lake website.”
Arnold said Candle Lake has around 900 full-time residents, but the population swells to between 10,000 and 15,000 during holidays like the May long weekend. With that many people in the area, Arnold said it’s important to have a plan before evacuations begin.
The Resort Village has advised full-time residents to organize accommodations outside the community and prepare an emergency kit with important documents, prescription medications, personal items, laptops, pet supplies, and meaningful items. Residents and visitors should also have their vehicles are fueled and ready for travel.
The Resort Village plans to setup an Evacuation Centre if the situation escalates. Leaders will also post updates on the Resort Village Facebook page, or the Candle Lake website.
Residents can register for a potential evacuation by using the SPSA’s Saskatchewan Evacuation App.
Saturday’s Welcome Back to the Lake festivities will still go ahead. The list of activities includes a wildfire values protection equipment demonstration at the Candle Lake Community Grounds.
The Resort Village has purchased 12 new wildland pumps, 6,000 feet of forestry hose, and various other pieces of firefighting equipment in preparation for the upcoming wildfire season.
“It’s just to let the public know that the fire department is taking action for their safety for the village,” Arnold said. “We’re buying fire hose. We’re buying pumps. We’re buying sprinklers, that sort of thing, and we’re making sure that we’re doing the best we can with respect to the citizens’ tax dollars that are being spent by the fire department.”
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
