Evacuation Order Expanded to Homes in Rural Municipality Near Saskatchewan Wildfire

Fire crews drop fire retardant from the air near a forest fire burning northeast of the city in Prince Albert, Sask., Monday, May 17, 2021. The northern Saskatchewan city has declared a local state of emergency due to a wildfire that's fast-moving and forcing some residents to flee for safety. Kayle Neis/The Canadian Press

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask.—Another evacuation order has been issued as a large wildfire continues to grow near Saskatchewan’s third−largest city.

The provincial emergency communications centre issued an alert this morning for the Berg subdivision in the Rural Municipality of Garden River, which is just outside Prince Albert.

It says the fire is threatening residents and they must leave the area immediately.

Residents who can get out of the area on their own are asked to use Highway 2 south and go to the Margo Fournier Centre in Prince Albert to register.

The fire began about four kilometres northeast of Prince Albert on Monday afternoon and continued to grow yesterday due to dry conditions and strong winds.

A state of emergency was declared later that day for Prince Albert and the Rural Municipality of Buckland.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many more homes are affected in the latest evacuation order, but the fire had forced out people from at least 50 homes yesterday.

The city of about 40,000, which is about 140 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, is no stranger to wildfires, but Prince Albert’s mayor said yesterday that this blaze is worryingly close.