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By Derek Cornet
Emergency personnel continue to battle a wildfire that the La Ronge Regional Fire Department is describing as ‘a monster.’
The Pisew fire, which has caused significant damage in the La Ronge area, is now 141,905 hectares in size. On Tuesday it was measured at 83,630 hectares, but high winds fuelled the fire’s growth and limited the aerial response. The situation was described as chaotic by local firefighters.
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“We would like to sincerely thank all fire departments, private contractors and volunteers who have been working tirelessly throughout these last two days,” read a statement posted online by the La Ronge Regional Fire Department. “We are doing the best we can, fighting for our communities.”
On Wednesday, an evacuation alert was issued for Stanley Mission.
La Ronge had already been evacuated when the fire burned some homes on the outskirts of town at Eagle Point. Two businesses were also lost, including the historic Robertson Trading store. The Pisew fire also destroyed five structures in Hall Lake and 13 homes in Sucker River, with widespread damage to infrastructure, according to the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
“The building was just a building, but the loss of the remaining contents – hundreds of pieces of Indigenous art and historical artifacts – is catastrophic,” said Robertson Trading Memories in a Facebook post. (Brian Sklar/Facebook)
La Ronge Mayor Joe Hordyski said the situation was a lot calmer on Wednesday.
“A big chopper from Alberta has been very helpful in dropping 1,000-gallon dumps in strategic places, so that’s made a huge difference. And we do have about 10 or 12 fire departments that are here from various communities,” Hordyski said.
A helicopter helps to fight the Pisew Fire in northern Saskatchewan. (Jim Tammy Cook-Searson/Facebook)
Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency vice-president Steve Roberts said firefighters are seeing extreme wildfire behaviour that can change hour by hour. He said crews not only have to manage the fire, but also have to overcome long working days.
“Human life is our number-one priority in this program,” Roberts said.
“For four and a half weeks, we’ve been doing some very extreme firefighting. We’ve had some community fires and we’ve had structural fires. We have met our primary objective. We may not have protected every value, we may not have extinguished every fire, but we have kept the people of this province safe from wildfires while we go about this business that’s in front of us.”
Fire crews from across the province are helping to battle the blazes in northern Saskatchewan. (Melfort Fire & Rescue/Facebook)
Helicopter crews in La Ronge were working in several areas to hammer hot spots throughout the day on Wednesday. Many firefighters are working 12- to 16-hour shifts for up to 12 days straight.
“All the credit for being where no one else really wants to be and doing a job that really is asking them to give 100 per cent or more every single day, so hats off to them,” Roberts said. “They’re doing what needs to be done in a difficult situation.”
Air Ronge Mayor Julie Baschuk wrote in a statement that while the village hasn’t seen any destruction, the community is facing a situation it has never encountered before, which is “aggressive, fierce and destructive.”
“We aren’t in the clear yet folks. If you remain in the tri-community, we can’t reinforce the message any clearer that we need you to leave,” Baschuk added.
“We will get through this. I know the feeling of displacement and uncertainty is not easy. Please take care of yourselves and keep the positive vibes flowing in.”
Hordyski said there is currently no significant risk to homes within the town of La Ronge, and pets left behind are being cared for through a feeding program. Unfortunately, he said the Pisew fire isn’t the only wildfire they have to worry about. There’s another blaze burning along the highway corridor that he thinks firefighters will have to face in the coming days.
“We are still a little concerned about what’s coming from the south, but that’s another story,” he said.
