Just a few people are left in Wollaston Lake - which is still threatened by a wild fire on the edge of the village. Hundreds of other residents were flown into Saskatoon overnight by military aircraft.
For the past two days this has been the routine around Wollaston Lake, a remote fly-in community 700 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, it's future threatened by fires burning all around.
16-year-old Delana Hansen was one of many residents of the small town evacuated by military aircraft overnight. "I was kind of scared, I was confused, I didn't know exactly where everybody was going to be."
Fanned by strong winds, water bombers have been attacking the flames creeping toward the town. As a result, everyone except emergency personnel was first airlifted to Points North Landing on small planes and helicopters before midnight, and then to Saskatoon around 6:00 a.m. Thursday in Hercules aircraft.
"It's really tiring being awake that long, plus I couldn't sleep because my chest was hurting too - the smoke was just really too strong," says Hansen. "I've only had three hours of sleep in two days."
Just over 800 people will call a Saskatoon shelter home. 625 others will be living in a soccer stadium. Angus Tsannie, a community elder, speaking in Dene, hopes everyone can get along under the circumstances.
"We got away from the fire. A lot of people got evacuated away from the smoke. It's no good for the kids and the people. I don't know when we will be leaving but it'll be better when we do, when everything's ok," says Tsannie, translated from Dene.
Candace Lamb, a Red Cross official says evacuees should register at the shelters. "Red Cross provides that registration so that we know where people are and to help people re-connect with their families."
It's not clear how long these residents of Wollaston Lake will be in Saskatoon. What is clear is the long wait they face before finding out what's left of their community.
