Forest fires burning 3 km from Sask. power plant, but officials say disruption is unlikely

Forest fires continue to rage in northeastSaskatchewan, causing evacuations in communities like Sandy Bay.

The fires are also close to the Island Falls hydroelectric station, whichsupplies power to most of the province's northeast.

SaskPower spokesperson Scott McGregor saidthe wildfire is three kilometres from the stationand has remained at roughly that distance for the past few days. He said the station is surrounded by fire breaks, and staff are regularly watering down all relevant buildings and infrastructure.

He said they don't anticipate any service disruption.

"With the current situation, we have ample staff tokeep normal operations going. And it's extremely unlikely that operations will be impacted by the situation," he said.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Chief Peter Beattiesaid he's worried about his community of Sandy Bay. Beattie said the firesare pushing closer to the community. An evacuation order was issued earlier this week.

"The fires are still burning hot and have grown in size. So now the northwest winds will advance that fire a bit closer," he said.

Beattie saideveryone ishoping for cooler temperatures and rain.Temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-20s with little significantrain untilMonday or later.