Parts of beautiful northern Sask. park burned by wildfire

Hannah Spray · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 2:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

A provincial parkland known for its beauteous hiking trails astir picturesque lakes is closed owed to wildfires successful the area, and the presumption of the trails is unknown.

Narrow Hills Provincial Park, astir 130 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert, was closed connected Friday day arsenic a "public information measure," according to a announcement posted connected the Saskatchewan Parks website.

All highways successful and astir the parkland are besides closed.

"Sask. Parks is intimately monitoring the concern and anticipation that conditions volition alteration truthful that we tin reopen the parkland adjacent week," the parks ministry announcement said.

One of the park's attractions is the Gem Lakes Trail, which goes implicit the hills supra the Gem Lakes — heavy lakes that bespeak shades of emerald, jade and aqua blue.

The main occurrence affecting the area, named the "Shoe" fire, was listed astatine a size of 13,500 hectares arsenic of Sunday morning. Fire crews, dense equipment, helicopters and aerial tankers were each progressive successful warring the fire.

It was 1 of 16 progressive fires successful the state arsenic of 11 a.m. CST Monday, and was inactive listed arsenic uncontained.

So acold this twelvemonth determination person been 146 wildfires successful Saskatchewan, good supra the five-year mean of 81 for this date.

Another wildfire of note, arsenic of Sunday's update, was burning astatine Keeley Lake, northbound of Green Lake. Keeley Lake is astir 100 kilometres northbound of Meadow Lake, which is astir 300 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

Quebec's wood occurrence prevention bureau sent reinforcements to Saskatchewan, including 2 CL-415 firefighting craft headed to Meadow Lake.

Smoke from wildfires was besides affecting the aerial prime successful immoderate east-central parts of the state Monday, including Nipawin, Carrot River and Candle Lake Provincial Park.