A forest fire near Creighton has grown in size since first being spotted Wednesday, but early morning rain and colder weather have helped keep it from growing further.
The fire near Creighton, officially known as the Wilson fire, has grown to 330 hectares in size, having spread out slightly over the past day. Fire growth was slowed by rain and cold weather early Friday and there is no immediate danger to either Creighton, Denare Beach or Flin Flon.
All three communities are currently under an alert warning people they may need to evacuate if the situation changes. Residents are asked to pack and prepare evacuation kits in case the fire burns back toward any community, but no evacuation orders have been announced and there are no confirmed reports of injuries or property damage.
The fire was first reported July 10 to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). Initial investigations state the fire started because of a lightning strike and the fire is still considered "not contained."
"The Town of Creighton is still on an evacuation alert, so please remain diligent and be prepared," reads a statement issued late Thursday night by the Town.
"Fire crews continue to monitor the Wilson fire and the water bombers will be back up and running tomorrow."
The fire is about five to seven kilometres away from Creighton and about nine kilometres away from Denare Beach. Recent hotspot monitoring from Natural Resources Canada show that the fire has burned south-south-east since it was first spotted, going toward Denare Beach, but the fire's progress has been slowed. According to Natural Resources Canada, the area around the fire is considered to have a "low" fire danger, thanks in part to colder, wetter conditions.
No water bombers are in the air over the area Friday afternoon according to flight radar scanners, most likely due to local cloud cover. Helicopter and ground crews are working on the blaze.
In Creighton, Town crews have set up sprinklers on key pieces of local infrastructure, to keep water and sewer lines working in case of disaster. Those sprinklers are running off of municipal water supplies - Town officials are asking for residents to conserve water over the weekend to make sure the sprinklers can still work.
With wind changing and forecasts projecting more smoke being blown into the area, the Town has set up a fresh air centre at the Creighton Sportex Friday for anyone with breathing difficulties or other health issues. The Town also plans to offer transportation to the centre for anyone needing it.
A thunderstorm that hit the region Friday morning impacted efforts to fight the fire. The storm was nowhere near the severity predicted in Environment Canada alerts covering the area. Still, it did bring rain - along with lightning strikes, about 50 of them per minute at the storm's peak, according to lightning strike monitoring service Blitzortung. No other fires have been reported due to the lightning strikes as of 3 p.m. Friday.
The Saskatchewan government announced a blanket fire ban Thursday afternoon for all provincial parks, recreation sites, Crown lands and areas near the provincial forest boundary, as well as areas within the Northern Special Administrative District. The ban covers most of the province, including all of northern Saskatchewan - it also includes open fires, controlled burns and fireworks. Councils and leaders in Creighton, Denare Beach, Flin Flon, Jan Lake and other areas have all instituted local fire bans as of Thursday.
The Town of Creighton is also asking people to pre-register in case an evacuation of the community is needed, sharing a QR code to be scanned and a website link at app.saskecs.ca. A registration centre has been set up at the Sportex and staff will be on-site from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. throughout the weekend.
Weather forecasts for the area from Environment Canada state there will be recurring rain throughout Friday, with the rain clearing overnight heading into Saturday. From there, little to no rain is expected over the next week, except for possible showers Sunday night. Forecasted highs are expected to stay in the mid-to-high 20-degree range, with overnight lows in the low teens.
