A huge grass fire near Good Spirit Lake burned approximately 4,000 acres and kept fire fighters busy for several days.
The initial call came in to the Canora and District Fire Department on May 14 at approximately 9 a.m.
“We were about to start a wildland training exercise,” said Devon Sawka, fire chief. “We were paged out to a grass fire along Highway No. 229. We showed up at that time with 11 members and all of our trucks which proved to not be enough. We sent out a second page to our members by 10 a.m. which brought five more to the scene of the fire. We had 16 members and were chasing the fire to try stop it but with wind gusts and dry conditions it was moving too fast.”
Sawka made the call for mutual aid and the Ebenezer Fire Department arrived at the scene with eight members. Still, the fire would not slow down.
“I made the call to my board rep from Good Lake and he said to me, "You get what you need to stop this thing" so I called Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency which dispatched two of the best wildfire men I've met and then a 6x6 Military truck and a third man. Unfortunately, they would have to come from Prince Albert and would take a few hours which I felt we didn't have. Shortly thereafter Ebenezer Fire received a call of their own so I called for mutual aid from the Rhein Fire Department which showed up with roughly 10 members.”
At this point everyone was briefed and those on the scene called upon their extensive firefighting experience to collaborate on a plan of attack.
“We decided on back burning the area at the park and Sandy Beach to have the fires burn into each other,” explained Sawka. “It worked, we contained the fire before the scheduled wind gusts hit. We started Sunday with cleaning up some spots that needed to be back burned in fear of re-ignition. By 1 p.m. I made the decision, with guidance of an RM member, to evacuate Sandy Beach due to high smoke load.”
“The Canora/Sturgis RCMP members started the evacuation process,” he said. “Homeowners understood and quickly left. At roughly 2 p.m. our worst fear took place. The wind carried a hot ember about 200 yards and ignited the bush directly across the road from the dwellings at Sandy Beach and was raging with 50-foot flames. I called Rhein and Ebenezer Fire back for mutual aid.”
A call was made to Heli-Lift Helicopter Service in Yorkton, only about a 30-minute drive away, for aid in the high winds that were fanning the flames.
“RCMP began the process of evacuating Burgis Beach,” recalled Sawka. “We set up along the roads of Sandy Beach and in a farm yard to attempt to stop the blaze before it reached any structures. The fire was moving hot and fast. The biggest challenge was the dense terrain with heavy fuel load mixed with 70k winds and dry conditions. It really was the perfect storm.”
Sawka said it reminded him of watching a movie as the units set up their equipment and waited for what became the turning point of the weekend-long fire.”
“When the fire crested at the bush line all units opened up and sprayed everything they had,” he said. “The smoke was so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face but it worked. We knocked the flames down and the helicopter came in with perfect timing and starting dumping water. Yorkton Fire came out and controlled hot spots and maintained what we called pond road which protected the field.”
On May 18, Victoria Day, the wind gusts were high so Sawka brought out Sturgis Fire and Rhein Fire again to help get the hot spots under control quickly by controlling the ashes and the embers. “This weekend was one for the record books,” summarized Sawka. “The members of all departments pushed themselves to extremes and kept trucking along. I have never seen a group work so hard. Some had fear in their eyes and some had smiles.”
Since the grass fire, Sawka said he has received numerous calls expressing thanks and appreciation.
“But the real story belongs to the men and women that worked so hard this weekend,” he said. “We have had three homeowners that that didn't shy away from hard work. They were side by side with the firefighters battling the blaze. I couldn't be more proud of the all the firefighters out there. Roughly 4,000 acres burned and there were no major injuries and no major property losses. This was a win.
“I am still in awe thinking about how hard these fire fighters from Rhein, Ebenezer, Sturgis and Canora worked. They are volunteers and gave up their family long weekends to fight this fire so the hats go off to them. Also I can't say enough to the men and women who donated assistance to keep us fed and watered. A special thanks to Crystal Reine and Candace Doogan for organizing the meals and keeping everything ready as guys would show up. None went hungry or thirsty.”
Overall, Sawka said there are approximately 500 dwellings in the vicinity of the fire, and the only one lost was the ski shack at Good Spirit Lake.
“I feel terrible that it was lost but I couldn't send men into harm's way to protect it, there were just too many dangers.”
Sawka said at the peak of the blaze, there were 50 firefighters in action, along with “three very important homeowners.”
Two firefighters were injured during the fire.
“Canora EMS was quick to respond to make sure everyone had a clean bill of health and kept a unit on scene in case of any further health issues. The Canora/Sturgis RCMP kept us safe and kept the people away so we could do our job. We really can't thank the RCMP and EMS enough for having our backs. Members of Canora fire stayed on scene in shifts 24/7 until May 20, working on hot spots and fire watch,” Sawka concluded.
