Forest Fire Destroys Trappers’ Cabins
Tuesday, July 04, 2006 at 13:40
It appears that at least four cabins have been lost to a forest fire near Stanley Mission.
That community is threatened by two fires — the closest is about five kilometres away.
Saskatchewan Environment has yet to confirm the loss of the cabins, but local band councillor Brian Hardlotte says cabins in the Four Portages area were burned.
Hardlotte says they belonged to some trappers that called the cabins home.
He adds sprinklers have been set up on some other cabins in the region that are also being threatened.
Saskatchewan Environment says the forest fire situation in the province remains “very serious”.
The hot, dry conditions forecast over the next few days have department officials worried about potential fire behaviour, especially in the priority area north of La Ronge.
Of the 109 fires burning in the northern provincial forest, 62 are situated in the La Ronge region in a relatively small area. Many of those remain out of control, and a number of them are threatening communities. In Grandmother’s Bay, a fire is still within one kilometre away.
Roughly 2,000 evacuees from Stanley Mission, Grandmother’s Bay, Sucker River, Nemeiben Lake, English Bay and Wadin Bay remain out of their homes. Some of them had to be evacuated by boat or floatplane when fires made highway travel impossible.
In fact, all highways in the area north of La Ronge remain closed.
Saskatchewan Environment spokesperson Janette Krayetski says heavy smoke today is making it very difficult for even emergency vehicles to get through. She says visibility, at times, is about 10 feet.
Krayetski says the smoke is also making it difficult for the department to assess the situation from the air.
The extremely volatile situation has prompted the province to bring in fire crews and equipment from Ontario and Quebec.
Meanwhile, the evacuations and looming fire threat almost cancelled the annual “Just Dare Me” diabetes awareness walk from Prince Albert to La Ronge.
Spokesman Jimmy Roberts says the organizing committee considered calling off the event, but several volunteers and walkers felt the cause was worth continuing.
He says although a lot of volunteers dropped out of the event to help with evacuation efforts, several are still walking and keeping in touch with family members affected by the fires through cell phones or other means.
Roberts says the group is currently in the Waskesiu area after spending the night in Christopher Lake.
They hope to reach La Ronge by Friday.