The man who rescued a little girl and her mother from a burning house in Pelican Narrows says the community needs a fire chief.
Larry Custer says he was putting his dog out around 8:00 on Saturday morning when he saw flames coming from a nearby home.
He rushed to the doorway and found the woman who owns the home trying to carry her daughter out.
Custer says he assisted them and another person who mistakenly told him no one else was inside.
By this time, he says flames were coming from the ceiling of the home.
It was later the bodies of Solomon Ballantyne and Josiah Ballantyne were discovered inside the structure.
Custer says he has heard a burning candle may have sparked the blaze and that the boys, aged 9 and 10, were sleeping in the attic.
Whatever the cause, he wants the government to provide the community with more money for a fire department so crews can respond to blazes like this one:
“We sure need a fire chief here so we can get things going here. You have to tell the people what to do eh? You need a lot of information about fire, especially in the winters, eh.”
He adds the girl he helped rescue, 10 year-old Hope Ballantyne, is still in a Winnipeg hospital:
“Stable condition according to her Grandma. I talked to her a couple of days ago here. But she’ll be there for quite a while, she said three months.”
Custer adds he hopes action is taken soon to address the firefighting situation within Pelican Narrows.
For its part the department of Aboriginal Affairs says it invests $120,000 into the Prince Albert Grand Council for fire protection training for its member reserves.
It also invests $200,000 annually to train on-reserve volunteer fire-fighters.
The department says it also provides direct funding to the First Nation for Fire Protection Capital.
In a statement e-mailed to MBC News the department offered its condolences to the family and community.
“This is a tragic event and our thoughts are with the families and the members of the community during this difficult time. Our Government provides funding to all First Nations to support fire protections on reserve, and through this funding First Nations manage fire protection services on reserve to meet the needs of their communities. “