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When asked to describe the experience of evacuating 11 family members and dozens of animals, Tina Johnson said it was both terrifying and intense.
That was the situation she faced Monday morning when she, her husband, sister, youngest daughter, and eight grandchildren piled into three vehicles and left their farm south of La Ronge due to the Pisew Fire burning nearby.
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The Pisew Fire, which has caused significant damage in the La Ronge area, is still not contained and was 159,485 hectares (394,096 acres or around seven times the size of the city of Saskatoon) on Saturday.
Along with their belongings, they loaded up five horses, five dogs, three cats, one rabbit and approximately 60 birds (ducks and chickens).
“A few of our friends on social media were kinda joking about Tina’s ark,” Johnson said.
On a normal day, the drive from La Ronge to Prince Albert takes about two and a half hours, but with the traffic congestion and thick smoke, it took Johnson and her family an extra hour.
She said her family was near the front of the line so it didn’t take as long as other evacuees to get through, some of whom spent five or six hours on the highway.
“It was terrifying going through the fires and it was stinky being stuck in a vehicle with 60 birds and dogs,” she said.
This is Johnson’s third evacuation in 10 years. In 2015, the family were gone for approximately a month, and three years ago the fire didn’t threaten the community of La Ronge, but it came close to their farm and they ended up evacuating for about two weeks.
Fortunately for Johnson, she had a friendly connection in the MacDowall area who offered them a place to stay. By the time they arrived at their destination, the animals had been in the trailer for over 12 hours.
Thursday night the fire had come within two kilometers of the farm and Johnson was sure all was lost.
“I know there’s a lot of people out there right now that are very upset and they feel that the leadership isn’t doing enough or the firefighters aren’t doing enough but I mean the main focus right now has to be the community. I can find a way to rebuild. You know, it’s just a house.”
Having previously run equine therapy, Johnson said she would be lost without her horses. More recently though she works at the homeless shelter in La Ronge and acknowledges how close she is to becoming one of her own clients.
Johnson’s oldest daughter is among the firefighters in La Ronge and on Friday shared the good news that their house was still standing.
Don Dodge and his partner Veronica are the ones who opened up their property to Johnston and he said the transition has been smooth.
“Everybody’s grouping together and working together as a real good team,” he explained.
To assist with costs, Park Range Veterinary Services in Prince Albert donated food for the dogs and lots of other people in the community have donated food, clothing, blankets and bathroom necessities.
“It was a little overwhelming at first, but we knew we had to help out, and it was a bad situation,” Dodge said.
— by Nigel Maxwell, with files from CKOM News
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