Evacuation order issued for East Trout Lake resort area amid Sask. wildfire threats

Jeffery Tram · CBC News

· Posted: May 21, 2025 8:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

The Saskatchewan authorities issued an evacuation bid connected Wednesday for the East Trout Lake edifice area, astir 165 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert, owed to the increasing menace of wildfires burning to the south. 

The order, effectual immediately, follows accelerated developments successful the Camp and Shoe wildfires.

A section authorities of exigency has besides been declared and volition stay successful effect until astatine slightest May 28.

Among those affected by the evacuation bid is compartment proprietor Shari Pitka, who near East Trout Lake for Prince Albert.

"We got the evacuation bid this greeting astatine 11:30," Pitka told CBC Radio's The 306 on Wednesday. "It didn't look excessively windy oregon excessively smoky, truthful it was precise hard to archer wherever the occurrence was."

Pitka said she noticed the fume erstwhile she approached Clarence-Steepbank Provincial Park.

"That was a small spot concerning."

Pitka said nightly provincial wildfire updates person helped residents enactment informed, truthful she knew the nighttime earlier that an evacuation mightiness beryllium possible.

"We truly weren't excessively acrophobic astir it until past night," she said. "They had told america that the occurrence benignant of took disconnected connected them, truthful that was a small spot concerning."

Pitka, who has spent 30 summers astatine East Trout Lake with her extended family, said she rapidly gathered essentials earlier leaving. Though lone a fistful of residents were contiguous for the May agelong weekend, Pitka said everyone moved rapidly erstwhile the evacuation bid came down.

"I deliberation we each near close astir the aforesaid time, astatine 1:45. We each near and deed the road."

Pitka expressed mixed emotions arsenic she's getting acceptable to spell backmost to her location successful Calgary.

"A small sad, due to the fact that I've been going up determination for a truly agelong time," Pitka said. "I anticipation everything's OK. We bash person a batch of large household memories up there."

She praised the province's proactive efforts to instal sprinkler systems.

"We person been truly impressed with the province, that benignant of puts our caput astatine easiness a small bit." 

But she remains acrophobic that the wildfires could proceed toward the absorption of East Trout Lake.

"From the look of the fume connected our exit, it looks similar it's moving that way."

Officials proceed to impulse each residents and visitors to permission the country instantly and cheque the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's website for updates.