Evacuations underway as fire burns northeast of Prince Albert

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 Road and west of Honeymoon Road.

A Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency helicopter with water bucket tackles the fire burning near residential properties near the Prince Albert airport. (Shawn Nygaard)

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.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire but temperatures exceeded 30 C Monday afternoon and wind gusts were forecast at up to 55 kilometres per hour. The wind direction was westerly so the next area of concern would be the Little Red River Park area.

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.

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

Access to several rural roads in the area has been closed.