Terrifying.
That’s how business owner Kendra Orthner described the last 72 hours that saw high winds and dry conditions feed wildfires in the area north of Narrow Hills Provincial Park.
Orthner is the co-owner and operator of Little Bear Lake Resort, located roughly 165 km northeast of Prince Albert.
“It’s been a crazy 72 hours for sure,” said Orthner, who is the co-owner and operator of Little Bear Lake Resort, located roughly 165 km northeast of Prince Albert. “Terrifying, most definitely. There’s quite a few of us who are just watching our cameras.”
Business owners and local residents who stayed in the area have been busy. The Resort Subdivision of Little Bear Lake declared a local emergency on Friday, and issued an evacuation order due to the threat of wildfires.
Orthner was among the residents who evacuated. Her business partner stayed behind along with roughly eight other residents to protect the community.
Local residents and the SPSA have used heavy machinery to create fire breaks, and every cabin roof in the area has a sprinkler system installed on it. However, dry and windy conditions make it difficult to fight the fires.
Orthner credited SPSA crews for doing great work, but said there are plenty of fires, and only so many people to fight them.
“We are all so thankful to all the fire crews and local people that are doing everything they can to save Little Bear Lake,” Orthner wrote in an email to the Daily Herald. “This is such a small tight knit community and everyone is just waiting in disbelief.”
Little Bear Lake isn’t the only community facing safety threats due to wildfires. The PAGC has turned their Urban Services Building into an evacuations support hub after residents in Sandy Bay and Pelican Narrows were forced to evacuate. Resident have also been directed to Saskatoon and Flin Flon.
Conditions were just as bad south of Prince Albert. A grass fire burning between Hwy 2 and Hwy 3 southeast of the City created so much smoke that Hwy 3 was closed due to poor visibility and hazardous road conditions. As of press time, motorists were being advised to use alternate roots and emergency crews were on scene.
At 4:46 p.m., the RM of Prince Albert issued a pre-evacuation alert urging residents to be prepared to leave on short notice. The RM said there was no immediate danger, but high winds and dry conditions were advancing the fire.
The RM will setup an evacuation centre if the situation escalates, according to the press release.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday afternoon to provide more updates on the fire situation.
