By paNOW Staff

Fire grows in P.A. National Park

May 22, 2018 | 8:18 AM

Despite a massive firefighting effort, the wildfire burning in the Prince Albert National Park grew over the long weekend and now covers approximately 24,000 hectares, or 240 square kilometres.

The fire is no longer contained entirely within the park’s boundaries, according to an update by the Parks Canada incident management team working on the wildfire. Some spotting has occurred south and west of the park on provincial lands, Parks Canada said, partially due to the warm, dry conditions, which contributed to increased fire activity and heavy smoke in the area.

“All available resources have been deployed to this incident,” a Parks Canada spokesperson said in a statement issued late Monday. “Additional crews from the Province of Saskatchewan, Little Red First Nation, the Province of Alberta, and the Province of Ontario have joined the fire management efforts.”

While some areas of the park are only seeing some smoke from the wildfire, other areas have been closed to the public as a precaution.

“As weather conditions and fire behaviour change, increased smoke may be visible throughout the park and surrounding area, including the communities of Waskesiu Lake, Elk Ridge, Montreal Lake and Timber Bay,” the spokesperson said. “This situation will likely continue for the coming days.”

Politics

Singh says NDP will bring forward a non-confidence motion to bring government down

18h ago

Increased police presence

PA Police investigate bomb threat at midtown school

21h ago

Missing persons

P.A. Police seek help finding 67-year-old man

Dec 19, 2024

All services at the Town of Waskesiu remain open, Parks Canada said, and Highway 264 inside the park is open as well.

In other parts of the park, the Sandy Lake and Narrows campgrounds are under precautionary 24-hour evacuation alert. The other closed areas in the park’s southwest corner include Amyot Lake Trail Spur, Valleyview Trail Network, West Side Trail, Elk Trail, Hunter’s Lake Trail, and Cookson Rd. west of Mayview Rd. Camp and Fish Lake backcountry campgrounds are also closed, and boating on Sandy Lake is prohibited. The Hanging Heart Lakes and Crean Lake remain open for day use boating. Boundary Bog, Red Deer Trail Network, Waskesiu River and Fisher are open.

According to Parks Canada, their first priority is the safety of people, facilities, and the neighbouring lands and communities. Residents are encouraged to contact their Rural Municipalities to inquire whether or not there is an evacuation alert in effect.

A total fire ban remains in effect for the park.

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @PrinceAlbertNOW