Candle Lake on edge as wildfires cast shadow over important May long weekend

Jeffery Tram · CBC News

· Posted: May 17, 2025 1:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

As 3 adjacent wildfires proceed to pain nearby, the edifice colony of Candle Lake successful bluish Saskatchewan remains nether a pre-evacuation alert, clouding the important Victoria Day agelong with concern for section officials and concern owners.

The pre-evacuation alert, issued Thursday, was inactive successful effect for the lakeside community, about 70 kilometres northbound of Prince Albert, arsenic of Saturday, warning residents and visitors to beryllium acceptable to permission connected abbreviated notice.

The colony sees a immense summation successful visitors during the summertime months, typically opening with the Victoria Day agelong weekend, said Candle Lake chief administrative serviceman Brent Lutz.

"We spell from a assemblage of astir 1,000 imperishable residents to implicit 10,000 radical present successful the summer," said Lutz. "The May agelong play is the commencement of our summertime season, and we virtually spot thousands of radical coming backmost to their seasonal properties."

A section concern proprietor said the agelong play is an important 1 for the village.

"For us, we're a seasonal business, truthful May agelong play represents opening for the season," said Shauna Kulbida, co-owner of Craft Ice Cream and Eatery. "Like galore different businesses retired here, this is simply a premier clip for america to get amped up for the play and get going."

But with the pre-evacuation alert successful effect, determination are concerns hanging implicit immoderate celebrations this agelong weekend.

"It's decidedly successful the inheritance of our minds, and making definite that we're prepared successful lawsuit it does go an existent evacuation," said Kulbida.

She has lived successful Candle Lake for 3 years, and said she's ne'er experienced thing similar this before.

"There's decidedly anxiousness astir it. I mean, it is simply a drier outpouring for sure. We haven't had overmuch rain," said Kulbida. "As a concern proprietor retired present arsenic well, it weighs connected you due to the fact that it's besides portion of our livelihood."

Lutz said the alert was issued to get up of immoderate imaginable risk.

"We wanted to marque the assemblage alert that determination is simply a imaginable outcome, if they were to marque their mode to our community, that we would person to beryllium prepared to instrumentality action," the CAO said.

"We didn't privation to origin alarm, but we wanted radical to beryllium alert and deliberation astir the things they request to bash to beryllium prepared."

Village has prepared for wildfire scenario: CAO

Despite the alert, the colony is proceeding with its planned "Welcome Back to the Lake" lawsuit connected Saturday, including displays from section organizations and a household concert.

"We're truly excited astir the lawsuit that we have. And close now, there's nary contiguous hazard to the village," said Lutz.

"[Saskatchewan musician] Jeffery Straker is going to beryllium performing. We're expecting a bully assemblage of radical conscionable to beryllium capable to socialize and spot radical they haven't seen since past summer."

Lutz said the colony has been preparing for a wildfire script for immoderate time, learning from past disasters successful different communities, including past summer's devastating occurrence successful Alberta's Jasper National Park.

"Certainly erstwhile we saw what happened successful Jasper, we recognized that surviving successful quality means that determination is simply a imaginable risk," helium said. "We've been moving astatine preparing our assemblage for that. We're hoping this is conscionable an workout and that thing comes of this."

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is supporting the colony with resources and communal assistance agreements, and residents are being asked to marque evacuation plans, support their state tanks full, and hole exigency kits.

Updates are being posted connected the Village of Candle Lake's website and connected its Facebook page.

As Saturday, occurrence bans remained successful spot astir Candle Lake and done astir each of cardinal and bluish Saskatchewan.

There are presently 12 wildfires burning crossed the province, lone fractional of which are contained, according to the province.