A northern Saskatchewan community has been forced to evacuate due to the growing McCafe fire

Residents of a northern Saskatchewan community have been forced to leave due to a growing wildfire.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said Friday the McCafe fire was within 20 kilometers of Stanley Mission around noon.

The Lac La Ronge Indian Band Emergency Response Team said on social media that the evacuation of the community began in the morning and people were asked to make enough for five days.

“The fire really moved hot. It was unexpected. It was a scary situation,” band leader Tammy Cook-Searson said.

“We let community members know that we were putting them on hold, then we met and decided to do a general evacuation. We were lucky that the winds died down and the fire moved away from the community.

Cook-Searson said additional sprinkler systems were installed and those already installed were activated to create more humidity.

In its public bulletin, the public safety agency said multiple crews were battling the blaze, including helicopter and air tanker support crews.

He warned that smoke could be thick in the area at times, Highway 915 could have periodic closures, and power lines along the route could be affected.

The McCafe fire remained uncontained and had spread to more than 110 square kilometers.

— With files from paNOW