Northern Sask. residents returning home following wildfire evacuation

A wildfire that forced residents of La Loche and Clearwater River Dene Nation (CRDN) from their homes has been contained, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA).

The state of emergency and evacuation order for La Loche was lifted on Sunday morning, according to a Facebook post from the village council. CRDN followed suit shortly after.

“I am happy to say that the evacuation has been lifted. We will be transporting our members home starting today,” CRDN Chief Teddy Clark said in a Facebook post.

On May 3 and 4, residents were asked to leave the two communities, located about 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, as thick smoke blanketed the area and the fire threatened highway access. About 266 hectares of land burned in the fire, the SPSA says.

CRDN residents were primarily evacuated to Lloyminster and many from La Loche were sent to Regina.

According to a Facebook post from the Village of La Loche, the SPSA chartered buses to bring residents back from Regina on Sunday evening, arriving home by Monday morning.

Roy Cheecham, CRDN band councillor, says the fire was a real wake-up call.

Cheecham said some of the fire guards — clearings in the brush between the forest and community buildings — were not well maintained during the pandemic, so there was a lot of catching up to do over the last few days as the forest burned around them.

Getting water to where it was needed was also a challenge, he says.

“Where the fire was, there’s no infrastructure for water, emergency or otherwise,” said Cheecham.

“So we have to go back to the watering hole, we have to fill up our tanks and then come back again and keep fighting … we’re constantly doing rounds and going back and forth to fill up the fire truck.”

“Where the fire was, there’s no infrastructure for water, emergency or otherwise,” said band councillor Roy Cheecham. (Photo Courtesy: Roy Cheecham)

The last few days have been a lot of work for the people who stayed behind to protect the community, but he says the worst day was May 4. Fire was dangerously close to about 15 to 20 houses and they were constantly running to put out spot fires.

“It was scary, I’m not gonna lie,” he said. “We’re normal people. I’m an elected official; I’m not a firefighter.”

Thanks to everyone’s hard work, Cheecham says they managed to get through without major damage to any homes. He says if this happens again, they’ll be better prepared next time.

The SPSA says the fire was fully contained as of Sunday morning and “no longer a fire of note.”

“The perimeter has been secured and crews will continue to patrol the perimeter, ensuring any remaining hot spots that pop up are extinguished,” an SPSA bulletin says.

The massive grass fire near the Moosomin and Saulteaux First Nations has also been contained, the bulletin says. Crews continue to monitor the area, and equipment is standing by if needed, the SPSA said.