A forest fire is burning within 10 kilometres of Creighton and Denare Beach. No evacuation notices have been issued, but local leaders are telling people to be prepared just in case.
The fire, officially known as the Wilson fire, was started by a lightning strike July 10 and has grown to around 100 hectares in size since then, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). The provincial fire organization says the blaze is considered "not contained".
The fire began not far from Wilson Lake and has since burned between Wilson Lake and Meridian Lake. At its closest point, the area affected by the fire is about five to seven kilometres away from Creighton and 10 kilometres from Denare Beach as of noon Thursday. The fire has burned to the southwest since being first spotted, further away from Creighton but closer to Denare Beach. No road access or vital infrastructure has been damaged because of the fire and no reports of property loss or injury have been announced.
The Town of Creighton, Northern Village of Denare Beach and City of Flin Flon have issued warnings due to the fire - the Town of Creighton and City of Flin Flon each issued evacuation alerts July 11, while Denare Beach issued an evacuation standby notice. These do not mean people in either community need to evacuate their homes - the alert is not an order calling for any evacuation, just a notice for locals to stay alert in case the situation changes. As of noon Thursday, neither community is under imminent threat from the fire and no evacuations from the area have been ordered. All three communities now have municipal fire bans in effect, as of Thursday afternoon.
"We ask that all residents prepare their emergency bags and be prepared to evacuate, if necessary, on short notice," reads an announcement from the Northern Village of Denare Beach issued around 12:30 p.m. local time Thursday.
"It's an alert - it's not a notice, it's just asking people to be prepared because the weather can change very quickly," said Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler.
"We have the three communities (Creighton, Denare Beach and Flin Flon) working together to deal with this and right now, we're just waiting and hoping the bombers can get here quick. At this moment, we don't know for sure, but people should be prepared just in case."
"We are working with our colleagues in Denare Beach and Creighton as well as provincial agencies, including the Manitoba Emergency Management Office," reads a statement from the City of Flin Flon released around 2 p.m. local time Thursday.
"We will provide updates via our social media channels and the City website and we will remain in contact with our local media partners to ensure you get timely updates as they become available."
The area where the fire is burning is hard to access at ground level, meaning aerial firefighting may be the best bet to fight the blaze.
"Depending on the weather, we're hoping bombers can come in very soon - they're supposed to be here," said Fidler. Fidler and local leadership in Creighton met with SPSA officials Thursday morning and will likely meet again with them Thursday afternoon.
Air in Creighton, Denare Beach and Flin Flon will likely be smoky throughout Thursday. Those conditions are due mostly to a complex of fires burning in northern Alberta - smoke from that area has been blown eastward through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba. Those conditions are expected to continue until at least Friday evening, according to forecasting from firesmoke.ca.
Two SPSA water bombers have been deployed to the area from La Ronge, according to flight radar tracking covering the area - another two are on the way for later this evening, if weather conditions allow. In a statement issued to the Reminder Thursday afternoon, City officials advise that two water bombers have been sent from the Manitoba side to help fight the blaze.
Anyone with aerial drones or watercraft is asked to avoid the area while fire crews work on the situation.
According to fire weather mapping from Natural Resources Canada, the area around Creighton, Denare Beach and Flin Flon is at a "moderate" or "high" fire danger. Wind forecasts for the area for Thursday indicate winds blowing towards the southeast, which may blow the fire away from both Creighton and Denare Beach but closer toward Saskatchewan Highway 167, the road connecting Denare Beach to Creighton.
Weather conditions for the area, according to Environment Canada, call for cloud cover to move in Thursday evening and a 60 per cent chance of thunderstorms. There is a risk of a severe thunderstorm later Thursday, with more rain and possible thunderstorms in the forecast for Friday.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach area are currently under three weather alerts, according to Environment Canada. One is a heat warning, as temperatures are expected to climb well into the plus-30 degree range, along with an air quality advisory, issued due to the fire smoke blowing into the area.
On top of that is a severe thunderstorm watch, which may produce hail up to four centimetres in diameter in some places, up to 50 millimetres of rain and wind gusts up to 110 kilometres per hour, according to the alert.
Updates on the fire situation can be found both at thereminder.ca and on the Town of Creighton, Northern Village of Denare Beach and City of Flin Flon official social media channels.
