Photo: Firefighting crews arrived to find two structures fully involved in flames.
By: Nicole Goldsworthy
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
SaskToday.ca
Buckland Fire and Rescue crews responded to two significant incidents within 24 hours, including a vegetation fire north of Spruce Home and a mutual aid response to a major two-structure fire near Christopher Lake and Emma Lake.
In a social media post on May 24, Buckland Fire said firefighters were dispatched at about 12:47 p.m. to a vegetation fire along Highway 2, about one mile north of Spruce Home.
Buckland Fire Department said when crews arrived, members of the public were already attempting to control the blaze. Firefighters located a slow-moving grass fire burning near a power pole.
Crews extinguished the fire and cooled the area using hose reels. A Type 1 fire crew from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and SaskPower also attended the scene, according to the Buckland Fire Department
The previous evening, Lakeland and District Fire Department crews were dispatched at approximately 7:45 p.m. to a structure fire about 14 kilometres west of Christopher Lake.
According to Lakeland Fire, crews arrived to find two structures fully involved in flames. Buckland Fire and Rescue was called in to assist with water supply operations as firefighters worked to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby cabins.
Once crews brought the blaze under control and extinguished the fire, SaskPower and SaskEnergy attended to shut off utilities. Firefighters later cleared the scene and returned to base to prepare for additional calls.
Buckland Fire/Rescue said its crews were dispatched at about 8:26 p.m. on May 23 for tanker support after the two structures caught fire.
Firefighting crews deployed a high-volume portable pump and 150 feet of four-inch supply hose to provide water to firefighting apparatus for more than three hours.
Buckland Fire credited the quick actions of the Lakeland and District Fire Department with preventing the incident from becoming worse.
Firefighters were released from the scene shortly after midnight before returning to the station. The Emma Lake response marked Buckland Fire’s 48th incident of the year.
“We are happy to help our neighbours to the north — teamwork at its finest,” the department said in its social media post.
Vegetation fire along Highway 2, about one mile north of Spruce Home.