Wildfire evacuation order lifted for Crutwell, homes north of Hwy 3

The threat has abated, at least for now.

An evacuation order issued for the community of Crutwell was lifted late Monday evening.

The order had been issued for the hamlet, and homes north of Highway 3, due to a wildfire.

Dave Rondeau and his family live in the community of about 57 people. He spoke with 650 CKOM while gathering the last of his belongings.

“Just had a guy fly through town here, everyone is in a bit of a panic,” he said. “Everybody is trying to get everything that’s not insured out of town.”

Rondeau, his wife and three adult children — along with the family dogs — were heading to friends nearby. He said they were prepared to move since the blaze started over the weekend.

“We’ve had a couple days, like I’ve been out parked on top of a hill where I can monitor the whole situation,” he said. “So we’ve been pacing ourselves. We were semi-ready to go when I got the order.”

People who can self-evacuate were told to leave through Highway 3 to the Shellbrook Senior Hall, on the corner of Railway Avenue and Main Street in Shellbrook, to register and receive further instructions. Anyone in need of assistance is asked to call 306-747-2178.

Shortly after the order came down, Shellbrook Reeve Doug Oleksyn said they were trying to get an exact number on how many homes were affected.

“I’m guessing around 40 homes, but there are residences outside the community,” he said.

People living in Holbein, about 30 kilometres west of Prince Albert – and those residing along and south of Highway 3 – were also being advised to remain on standby for a possible evacuation is things escalate.

The province said wildfires, which started May 12, continued to burn in the Rural Municipality of Shellbrook, southwest of Holbein, Monday.

Over two days, the fire had burned roughly 15 square kilometres, or about twice the size of the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon.

The immediate cause of the fire is not yet known, but conditions were hot and windy all day Saturday.

650 CKOM will update this story as more information becomes available.