Multiple fire departments in the region were at Burgis and Sandy Beaches on the weekend to combat a grass fire that had gotten out of control in the region. The Canora Fire Department was on the scene with the Rhein Fire Department, Ebenezer Fire Department and Yorkton Fire Protective Services.
Yorkton Fire Chief Trevor Morrissey said that Yorkton’s role in assisting with the fire was to provide more water and manpower to help combat the blaze. Yorkton provided eight members and the tanker truck to shuttle water, to contain the fire and prevent the spread into the cabin area.
“The span and breadth of the burning area was beyond the resources that were out there. They had a helicopter going and several fire departments, but it was general coverage.”
The biggest concern Morrissey had was safety, especially as they saw thick smoke and other dangers. They were also trying to stay on the burned area, due to the risk of the fire coming around and getting behind them.
“As the winds came up, the fear was that the burning would go up into the canopy of the trees. With it being a little greener right now, that helped, they don’t burn as well at the top. There was a lot of heavy smoke, and deep burning. As you looked into the trees, at any one time you could see upwards of 100 spots that were burning individually. Every minute or two minutes there would be a tree that was burnt from the inside, hollowed out. Trees are coming down. There are always those things in the back of your mind, as you’re sending guys to do certain tasks, that their safety was first and foremost, and you weren’t sending them to areas where trees are coming down on them.”
While he does not know what started the fire, the dry conditions were a big reason why it could spread. He said that embers from a campfire can carry a long way, and there is a lot of dead wood in the area from previous years’ floods.
“It doesn’t take a lot to get that going, it could be something as innocent as an ember travelling from a kilometer away.”
There was a fire ban in Yorkton, the R.M. of Orkney and the R.M. of Wallace over the weekend, though it was lifted Tuesday morning Morrissey said that it is being monitored and may go back in place. The reason for the weekend band was partially due to conditions, as it being dry with high winds made it more likely that a fire could start. Morrissey noted that the other reason for the ban was a lack of resources. With the situation at Good Spirit Lake, the majority of available resources in the region were focused on that fire, which would have made any additional fires hard to combat.
He recommends that residents remain smart about fire, and the continued dry conditions may mean that the ban will go back in place. He said that if anyone does have a fire they have water readily available just in case.
“The purpose of the fire pits is for an enjoyable fire in your back yard. It’s not enjoyable when your back yard is on fire, and it’s not enjoyable on a windy day either.”
