The fire on the northeast edge of P.A. city limits forced the evacuation of homes across the highway from the airport (Curtis Wailing)

By paNOW Staff

BIG BLAZE

Evacuations as fire burns northeast of P.A.

May 17, 2021 | 5:59 PM

Anyone who lives or works in the immediate area around the large fast moving fire burning northeast of Prince Albert has been ordered to get out.

That area is north of Highway 55, across from the airport east of Cloverdale Rd and west of Honeymoon Rd.

Meanwhile, police called on the public to avoid Highway 55 East as officers worked to help those impacted and keep things clear for emergency workers. The highway was shut down later on Monday.

One evacuee, Ashlee Schmidt, who lives about one km north of the airport, told paNOW she noticed smoke in the area when she stepped outside around 3 p.m. She contacted a neighbour who said they should start thinking about evacuating.

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“Within five minutes of that happening, a police officer was at our door and told us that we needed to be out right now,” Schmidt said. “So we each grabbed an item that we couldn’t live without and basically left.”

She and her son are currently staying with family.

“Our whole life is there, I mean I grew up in that house,” Schmidt said. “My son – we live in that house, it’s just really scary to think that everything could be gone in a blink of an eye.”

This was the scene behind the house where one evacuee was staying. Ashlee Schmidt saw the smoke and within minutes got a knock at the door telling her to leave.(submitted Ashlee Schmidt)

There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire but temperatures exceeded 30 Celsius Monday afternoon and wind gusts were forecast at up to 55 km/h.

Evacuees were asked by the City to gather at the Margo Fournier Centre. It is understood they were then found emergency accommodation at a local hotel.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) responded to the afternoon blaze with helicopters, ground crews, multiple air tanker groups and heavy equipment.

The fire erupted around 2 p.m. Monday. An initial plume of grey smoke grew and became a dominant dark mass on the skyline within an hour. By 4:50 p.m. officials ordered people to leave. Earlier the P.A. Fire Department had been going door-to-door to tell people to leave.

Area residents are keeping a close eye on the sky as the plume of smoke draws closer to their homes. (Submitted photo/Shari Paul)

Members of the police service are in the area assisting in directing traffic and working to ensure the safety of the public. Drivers are reminded to give emergency vehicles room to pass.

This was the scene on Pulp haul Rd near the fire at 4:14 p.m. Monday (Catlin McDougall)

Highway 55 from Prince Albert to Highway 355 has been closed due to the fire, as has Pulp Haul Road. The public is advised to use alternate routes and exercise caution as visibility could be reduced due to smoke. Access to several rural roads in the area has also been closed. For updates visit Highway Hotline.

A map shows Highway closures as of 6 p.m. Monday. (Submitted/Highway Hotline)

The wildfire smoke can be seen for miles around and dominates the Prince Albert horizon.

An image of the fire northeast of P.A. taken from the bridge.( Sarah Marie)

More to come…

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow