The wildfires spread quickly on May 1. An appreciation barbecue is planned May 11. (Submitted photo/Ashley Croteau)
Community support

Barbecue planned for volunteers who helped in Rapid View area wildfires

May 11, 2023 | 11:56 AM

There was a huge show of support to help tame the wildfires that spread quickly west of Rapid View, northwest of Meadow Lake recently.

Homeowner Ashley Croteau estimated over 200 people volunteered as well as firefighters to stop the blaze from moving into the residential area on May 1.

As a thank you to the firefighters and the many volunteers who helped put out the fire, the Croteau family, as well as neighbour Stacey Nolin’s family, are holding a community barbecue at the Croteau ranch at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Croteau said it was “remarkable how many people came out to lend a hand.”

“People came with their farm equipment, some came with water trucks and trailers with water tanks on them, and lots of people came with rakes and shovels, anything they could do to help,” she said.

Croteau is inviting people out for a burger or a hot dog, just to say thanks.

“We really appreciate everybody who came out and gave us a hand,” she added. “It could have got out of control very easily.”

Nolin said, “It’s the power of the community that can make the difference.”

“There were people here before we even got home that were already helping to change the direction of the fire, so it wouldn’t take out homes in the direction that it was headed with such strong winds that day,” Nolin added in an email to meadowlakeNOW.

Meadow Lake Fire and Protective Services, along with Loon Lake Fire Department, and the Dorintosh Wildland Fire team, a provincial group that works with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, spent eight hours tackling the blaze that started that afternoon.

Meadow Lake Fire Chief Joe Grela said it took firefighters eight hours to battle the wildfires on May 1. They also had to come back the next day to extinguish some brush piles that were burning.

“A lot of the community from Rapid View came out to assist us,” he said of the May 1 event. “We had significant wind that day from the south direction.”

The fire covered a large area of about three kilometres by one kilometre, covering grassland, pastureland and a treed area also.

Grela said fortunately no one lost any structures in the fires.

Due to the direction of the wind, there was a concern some homes would be taken.

“We had our apparatus stationed at one residence,” Grela added.

Community volunteers used tractors to make fire breaks to help contain the fire, and some also came with water tankers to fight the fires.

“That’s really good to see for sure,” Grela said. “We responded with I believe it was nine members. A fire like that spreading that quickly is hard to contain with only nine members.”

With the dry conditions and strong winds, it made the work of putting out the fire challenging.

So, the added support was a big help.

“We definitely would like to express our thanks for the community for helping us out in this particular incident. It was appreciated,” Grela said.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

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