The Canora & District Fire Department put in a long day and night dealing with numerous fires during the strong winds that blew across the province on October 18.
A total of 15 firefighters from the department were at work for approximately 20 hours dealing with fires, many of which resulted from nearly 90 km/h winds knocking down trees and taking out power lines, said Mike Doogan, fire chief.
At 12:37 a.m. a call was received about a small grass fire near Canora Beach, but it was quickly extinguished by property owners.
About 15 minutes later a call was received concerning two wildland fires, involving grass and bush, near the junction of highways No. 229 and No. 47 in the Good Spirit Lake area. The initial fire was quickly extinguished, but the second fire kept firefighters busy for approximately 18 hours in total, while some members of the department dealt with other calls. The fire was approximately four miles long, said Doogan.
Just before 10 a.m. a call was received for mutual aid from the Sturgis Fire Department regarding a wildland fire near Buchanan, where a fire was threatening a yard. Several Canora firefighters were on scene for approximately 90 minutes before heading back to the Good Spirit fire, which had flared up once again due to the howling winds.
Shortly after noon a call was received regarding a semi turned over south of Gorlitz, where the rig was blown off the road by the strong wind. Several Canora firefighters responded to the call. Thankfully there were no injuries, and they were able to return to deal with the Good Spirit fire within about an hour, said Doogan.
At 1:27 p.m. a call was received regarding a fire north of Canora near the Key First Nation. The Canora Department was unable to send any members at that time due to the seriousness of the Good Spirit fire, and requested mutual aid from the Sturgis Fire Department.
At 1:41 p.m. another wildland fire was reported in the Good Spirit Lake area, and Canora firefighters were able to respond to that call, while continuing to deal with the original fire, which they put out at around 7 p.m.
Doogan was appreciative of all the hard work of the Canora firefighters and very thankful for the help of members of the community during this challenging time.
“Volunteers made fireguards with their tractors and cultivators, they helped us put out fires when we need it, gave us gas for our equipment when we were running low, and brought us food and drinks to keep us going. They were really amazing, always ready in case we needed anything.”
By the time the firefighters were able to return to Canora and put away all the equipment, it was approximately 9 p.m.
