Sarah Mills: Early wildfire season raises questions about prevention
Wildfires have forced thousands of people in Saskatchewan to leave their homes, and the summer hasn't even started yet. ...
By Derek Cornet
The mayor of a northern hamlet evacuated due to wildfires is crediting firefighters from Montreal Lake Cree Nation for saving parts of his community.
“They made the difference,” said Weyakwin Mayor Medrick Thomas.
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“We would have lost the north end. We would have structures and trailers and all of that burn down, and the church probably at the north end, if it wasn’t for them.”
Weyakwin, a small community with a population of around 100, was evacuated on Wednesday due to the nearby uncontained Ditch 2 Fire. That fire has been classified as a human-caused fire and is located 90 kilometers south of La Ronge.
A sprinkler system has been set up in Weyakwin and firefighters are busy protecting the hamlet. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW)
By Wednesday, it reached 80 hectares in size and began affecting traffic along Highway 2, leading to wait times for motorists. Just north of Weyakwin, the fire was burning on each side of the highway in the ditch and nearby forest, causing reduced visibility because of smoke.
Since the evacuation, Thomas explained most residents are either staying with family or friends in La Ronge or Prince Albert, or in Montreal Lake.
“They offered us three facilities with enough beds to look after 50 to 60 people, so we said that’s what we’ll count on then. We won’t worry about sending them anywhere else,” he said.
Thomas noted that so far there has been a positive response, with many agencies reaching out to offer assistance. There’s a provincial fire base in Weyakwin, so he’s been able to stay informed about the situation and the provincial government’s response.
In addition to provincial fire crews and the personnel sent from Montreal Lake, there’s a handful of community members who decided to stay. They have been tasked with hosing down rooftops and monitoring the hamlet for any spot fires.
Thomas said he’s confident the hamlet isn’t going to burn, and he currently has no plans on leaving.
“There’s no possibility of me leaving unless RCMP come here, handcuff me and drag me away,” he remarked.
“I just take it in stride. When you live in the north, you learn to take these things in stride and go along with it and deal with it the best that you can.”
