Wollaston Lake Without Grocery Store After Fire

Monday, April 23, 2007 at 15:40

 

 

The chief and council of the Hatchet Lake First Nation in Wollaston Lake are meeting today to try and figure out how to get groceries into the community.

 

Flames destroyed the band’s main store on Saturday, effectively wiping out Wollaston Lake’s main supply of groceries.

 

The ice road to the community is now closed, which means air travel is the only means of getting supplies to the remote reserve until summer.

 

Band spokesman Ed Benoanie says residents have few places to buy anything in the wake of the fire — only a couple of convenience stores.

 

An emergency community meeting has been scheduled to take place tonight.

 

The blaze began in a cold storage unit next to the store. Benoanie says the facility likely contained propane bottles and petroleum products.

 

The RCMP say fire officials are investigating what caused the blaze, but at this point they do not consider it to be suspicious.