Latest news with #JimArnold
CBC
30-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Aircraft and fire retardant needed for wildfires, says Sask. fire chief
Candle Lake fire chief Jim Arnold explains what his firefighters are seeing on the front lines and calls for much-needed equipment from the province to help fight the fires.
CBC
27-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Candle Lake, Sask., officials seek approval for firebreak as wildfire threat increases
As wildfires rapidly advance in Saskatchewan, communities like Candle Lake are ramping up their emergency preparedness efforts. The Shoe fire in northern Saskatchewan, which recently merged with the nearby Camp fire into one blaze, has grown to 216,000 hectares in size and was just 21 kilometres from the RM of Candle Lake, about 200 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, on Tuesday. Poor Internet connection? CBC Lite is our low-bandwidth website. Candle Lake officials said at a news conference Tuesday that the community has formally requested approval from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) to build a protective firebreak along Highway 120. "We do have some serious concerns up here in the north," Candle Lake emergency fire Chief Jim Arnold said. "We're asking for the province to act immediately to help protect the community." Firebreaks typically involve clear-cutting large swaths of forest to remove potential fuel from a forest fire. Candle Lake's proposed firebreak would run from Minowukaw to the junction with Highway 265, and is intended to help protect subdivisions and nearby communities from the fast-approaching wildfire. "When you combine that Candle Lake and Paddockwood area, we're trying to make sure that also the two crown jewels, the two parks we have here, are safe from the possibility of having a fire come through," Arnold said. Emergency evacuation preparation Several communities surrounding Candle Lake have already been evacuated, and Highways 106, 120, 912 and 913 remain closed due to fire activity. "My understanding is if it gets within 15 kilometres is when we start to make those kinds of decisions," Candle Lake Mayor Colleen Lavoie said. Lavoie said the RM is starting to prepare for the possibility of evacuation and a team is setting up a centre to co-ordinate the effort. "We're hoping that you'll be able to just drive in, drive through, give your information and contact information where you're going and be able to leave quite quickly." She asked residents thinking of leaving the community to inform officials before doing so. "I think we would really appreciate having contact information so we know all where all the residents or cabin owners are." A safeguard Arnold is urging the SPSA to approve the fireguard now, saying it would be used as a precaution for future wildfires. "This is not a just a one time thing, this could protect the whole area of Cadillac and Paddockwood from a fire approaching from the southeast or from the east," Arnold said. "So all we're trying to do is is make our point that we need some help and we need some support." The SPSA moved its incident command centre from Lower Fishing Lake to Candle Lake between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. CST Tuesday. More than 125 personnel are now stationed in the community, working around the clock to manage the response. Lavoie said the resort village is also stepping up to support crews by providing meals and emergency assistance where needed. "The firefighters have been very thankful for the meals and the support they're getting from the community all around us, so very thankful for them," Lavoie said. An SPSA representative at Candle Lake declined to answer questions, saying only that the agency will update the situation later today.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Sask. lake village plans defensive strategy as wildfire approaches
Provincial officials are setting up an incident command centre in the Resort Village of Candle Lake as nearby wildfires continue to escalate. Two fires, dubbed the Shoe and Camp fires, have had the northeastern Saskatchewan lake community on edge for weeks, prompting a series of pre-evacuation alerts as firefighters struggled to contain the spread in often dry and windy conditions. Now, the two wildfires have merged, growing to over 115,000 hectares in size — larger than a thousand football fields — and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) moved its incident command centre to the village as officials develop a defensive strategy. 'Due to the escalating Camp and Shoe fires, last night between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) moved their Incident Command Centre, previously located at Lower Fishing Lake, to the Resort Village community grounds,' the resort village said in a news release Monday night. By Monday morning, the fire was just 21 kilometres away from Candle Lake, and the village fire chief is asking the public safety agency to approve work on a fire break — clearcutting a line of trees to create a buffer between the community and the encroaching flames. If approved, the fire break would run from Minowukaw along Highway 120 toward the Highway 265 junction, the SPSA said. 'Our goal is to be fully prepared to protect the Resort Village subdivisions and our neighbours if threatened by wildfire,' said Jim Arnold, fire chief for the Resort Village of Candle Lake. 'Building this buffer may one of the only things that saves our community, but we need the support of the SPSA to complete the work.' About 125 people are working in the command centre, with village staff providing support and meals for the crews, the news release said. The village says multiple areas nearby have already evacuated, and closures are in effect on Highways 106, 120, 912 and 913. A Saskatchewan hunting guide shared shocking video of the fire along Highway 106 over the weekend, which is just east of Candle Lake and runs north toward the gem lakes — a scenic provincial park site devastated by fire earlier this month. 'Went up to bear camp yesterday to try [to] get some stuff out before the fire took it all and we were an hour too late,' White Gull Outfitters said on Facebook. 'The devastation this fire has caused along the Hansen lake road is unimaginable.' Candle Lake Fire Chief Jim Arnold, Mayor Colleen Lavoie and an SPSA official are providing an update on the fire response Tuesday morning. More details to come.
CBC
17-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Candle Lake issues pre-evacuation alert as 3 fires burn nearby
Fire chief says there's no immediate danger, but people should be ready for evacuation Candle Lake, a resort village in northern Saskatchewan, has issued a pre-evacuation alert on Thursday morning as three wildfires burn in the area. There's no immediate danger, said Jim Arnold, the village's fire chief. But residents and the many people heading to the lake for the long weekend need to be on alert. Candle Lake is about 70 kilometres north of Prince Albert and has about 1,100 permanent residents, but in the summer the population can range from 9,000 to 15,000, according to the village's website. "We want to make sure that we don't discourage people from coming here, but we also want them to be aware of the danger that is possible out here," Arnold said. "And we want them to … stay up to date with any ongoing situation that could get worsened, or could get better." Two fires — named the Camp and Shoe fires — have been burning in the area since last week. A third fire, the Boot fire, started Wednesday. The closest one is 15 kilometres away, Arnold said. Modelling provided to the local fire department by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency showed winds could push at least one of the fires closer to the village. The village's alert advises residents to organize accommodation outside Candle Lake, make sure their vehicles are fuelled up, and prepare an emergency kit that has prescription medications, important documents, computers, valuables, personal items like toiletries and supplies for their pets. A "Welcome Back to the Lake" event planned for Saturday is still going ahead as planned, the alert says. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's executive director of land operations, Bryan Chartrand, gave a briefing to media on Thursday. He said that with the long weekend approaching, and people heading north to cabins or lakes, it's important for everyone to stay vigilant. "Fortunately enough, you know, the weather seems to be cooling down, and if there are any more incidences it won't flare up as aggressively as these current fires have been doing," said Chartrand. "But again, I'd like to remind everybody that is going out to be diligent and cautious. The conditions are very dry." Chartrand noted most municipalities in central Saskatchewan have fire bans in place, and the safety agency has implemented a fire ban in the northern forest — so people heading out camping should make sure they're aware whether there's a fire ban where they're going.
CBC
15-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Candle Lake, Sask., issues pre-evacuation alert as 2 fires burn nearby
Candle Lake, a resort village in northern Saskatchewan, has issued a pre-evacuation alert on Thursday morning as two wildfires burn in the area. There's no immediate danger, said Jim Arnold, the village's fire chief. But residents and the many people heading to the lake for the long weekend need to be on alert. Candle Lake is about 70 kilometres north of Prince Albert and has about 1,100 permanent residents, but in the summer the population can range from 9,000 to 15,000, according to the village's website. Two fires — named the Camp and Shoe fires — are "kind of converging towards Candle Lake," Arnold said. Modelling provided to the local fire department by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency indicates the wind is going to be blowing out of the east on Thursday. "So that moves the Camp fire closer to Candle Lake," said Arnold. The village's alert advises residents to organize accommodation outside Candle Lake, make sure their vehicles are fuelled up, and prepare an emergency kit that has prescription medications, important documents, computers, valuables, personal items like toiletries and supplies for their pets. People can check for updates on the village's website and on its Facebook page. A "Welcome Back to the Lake" event planned for Saturday is still going ahead as planned, the alert says. In a media briefing Thursday morning, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's executive director of land operations, Bryan Chartrand, said the Camp fire was about 25 kilometres east of Candle Lake. With the long weekend approaching, and people heading north to cabins or lakes, it's important for everyone to stay vigilant, he said. "Fortunately enough, you know, the weather seems to be cooling down, and if there are any more incidences it won't flare up as aggressively as these current fires have been doing," said Chartrand. "But again, I'd like to remind everybody that is going out to be diligent and cautious. The conditions are very dry." Chartrand noted most municipalities in central Saskatchewan have fire bans in place, and the safety agency has implemented a fire ban in the northern forest — so people heading out camping should make sure they're aware whether there's a fire ban where they're going. There were 11 wildfires burning in the province as of Thursday morning, with five classified as "not contained," including both the Shoe and Camp fires, according to the province. So far this year, there have been 155 wildfires, well ahead of the five-year average of 96.
