Hall Lake holds complete evacuation

About 500 people are being evacuated from their homes in Hall Lake due to fire and smoke.

The community west of the Prince Albert National Park, is part of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.

Tammy Cook-Searson, Chief of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, said the evacuees are being brought to La Ronge.

Richard Kent, commissioner of emergency and protective services for the Prince Albert Grand Council, said most of the evacuees will hopefully stay with family and friends in La Ronge.

“We do have a center that we are opening up with the help of the band, and anybody that doesn’t have a place to stay, of course, will be held in that center there,” Kent said, adding if need be, some people may be taken to stay in Prince Albert.

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Val Nicholson, communications consultant with the Ministry of the Environment, said this fire is one of several started by lightning in the area.

“This one happened to start in a dry patch, and with the wind it got going,” she said.

The fire is estimated to be about 25 to 40 hectares in size, roughly the same size as Cooke Municipal Golf Course, and is about five kilometres south of Hall Lake. Nicholson said with dry conditions and gusty wind, the fire was burning actively while six air tankers battled the blaze throughout the day.

“The critical flanks are holding at this time, so we’ll keep working and making progress,” Nicholson said.

Evacuations started Sunday afternoon using busses to take people from Hall Lake to La Ronge. Some residents used their own vehicles to get out a quickly as possible, Kent said.

The fire is not only affecting the community, but also the road in between Hall Lake and the highway to La Ronge.

Kent said Hall Lake residents will not be going back to the community until they get the all clear from wildfire control.

As done in the recent evacuation of Wollaston Lake, Kent said there may be a select few people staying behind to keep the up the infrastructure.

sfroese@panow.com