By Charlene Tebbutt

Parks officials taking precautions around Waskesiu

May 22, 2018 | 5:10 PM

Fire crews continue to battle a blaze in the Prince Albert National Park and precautions are being taken to protect and manage areas around Waskesiu to reduce the risk from fire. 

Parks Canada said Tuesday that fire protection and fuel management actions are being taken as a precautionary measure to safeguard local infrastructure and resources. The Rabbit Creek Fire continues to burn more than two weeks after a controlled burn in the southern portion of the park blew out of control. The Rabbit Creek Fire is now an estimated 24,000 hectares.

Park officials said Tuesday the blaze continues to burn both inside the park and outside the south and western boundaries on provincial lands. Parks Canada says the ongoing hot and dry weather continues to add to the fire risk in the area.

There are no alerts currently in effect for either the Rural Municipality of Shellbrook or the District of Lakeland. The area around the RM is smoky, said Reeve Doug Oleksyn, and some fence lines and pasture lands have been damaged, but there is no immediate threat to residents near the southern portions of the park. Oleksyn said residents will be notified should the situation change, including through the SaskAlert system, which has already been used to warn residents in the Crutwell area of nearby fire danger. 

The District of Lakeland is posting updates as they have them to their Facebook page and website, said administrator Tammy Knuttila, and also offers residents in the area a subsriber option for their Code Red alert system. The SaskAlert app is also available for download, she added.

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“We are aware of the fire, we are aware of the smoke activity, we are monitoring it and being updated on a regular basis,” Knuttila. “We do have an EMO plan that we are excersing regularly.”

Parks Canada says the situation in the Prince Albert National Park has not changed significantly since Monday. All services in the town site of Waskesiu are still open, although visitors are still being advised to access the town using Highway 264 via Highway 2. The Hanging Hearts Lakes and Crean Lake are still open during daytime hours only, and the Boundary Bog, Red Deer Trail Network, Waskesiu River and Fisher remain open. 

Most backcountry trails are closed, Parks Canada says, due to the fire risk in these areas. 

Parks Canada say they are continuing to work with local and provincial authorities to manage the blaze. A fire ban inside the Prince Albert National Park remains in effect.

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt