It was a close call after a wildfire threatened a fire base in La Ronge on Friday. (Facebook/Cook-Searson Tammy Jim)

By Derek Cornet

wildfire response

No damage after Pisew fire advancement leads to early morning emergency alert

Jun 6, 2025 | 5:02 PM

On a day when Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson should have been celebrating her Master of Business Administration (MBA) convocation from Athabasca University, Mother Nature had other plans.

In a post on social media, her family said she woke up before 5 a.m. to check the fire situation on the north side of La Ronge.

‘Like many essential service workers who are making a difference, Tammy has been operating on just two to four hours of sleep each day, demonstrating her unwavering commitment,’ the post read.

Wildfires crews also had a sleepless night thanks to the Pisew fire which started moving towards the community once again.

Firefighters from La Ronge, and other provincial detachments, responded to the blaze around 4 a.m. as it made its way towards the Industrial Park. They were able to stop its advancement with no structures being reported as lost.

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The 152,326 hectare Pisew fire did, however, burn a house Friday morning near Clam Lake Bridge as well as destroy a bridge and vehicle that had become lodged on it while a LLRIB employee was fleeing to safety.

Wildfires forced the evacuation of Sikichew Lake and Clam Lake Bridge. (Tammy Cook-Searson/Facebook)

“Our worker did hit the bridge and the airbag went [off] on the driver side and Coun. Norman (Ross) wasn’t able to locate him, so I said I would call for help right away,” said Chief Tammy Cook-Searson.

“I called the firebase and let them know we couldn’t locate one of our workers and they said they would be on there right away, and then a few minutes later Coun. Norman called me and said he is here, he is OK, and everyone is accounted for.”

Cook-Searson explained SaskPower and SaskTel crews continue to work towards restoring services in Grandmother’s Bay, Stanley Mission and Sucker River. That work has been slow because of dangerous conditions, as well as a section that had been repaired being burned again. The Crown corporations continue to assess damage in those areas.

SaskTel said crews did have some success and have restored services to Pelican Narrows, Jan Lake, Denare Beach, McLennan Lake, Brabant Lake, Deschambault Lake, Southend, Wollaston Lake, Stony Rapids and Fond-du-Lac.

A firefighter points to a plume of smoke from a wildfire burning near Sucker River. (Jim Tammy Cook-Searson Facebook))

In recent days, 500 people including Elders and those with health issues, were evacuated from Stanley Mission. STARS air ambulance also made two trips, marking a first for the community.

LLRIB members were also notified on Friday that financial help is on the way. The band announced that members would receive $300 for each eligible household. It will cover a one-week period with more assistance for members should evacuees be displaced for longer than that.

“It should be starting to roll out today. They are working on it right now,” Cook-Searson said.

“We do have over 8,000 band members who have been evacuated and displaced from their homes. That’s one of the things we decided to do together is just give a little relief to the band members who have been displaced. We still are working out logistics. We understand we still do have band members that don’t have a place and don’t have lodging at this time, so we are working out those logistics.”

During its daily wildfire update, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said conditions are settled enough in some parts of northern Saskatchewan that they were looking to potentially repatriate at least three communities, however, they did not say which specific communities they were referring to.

RCMP response

The Saskatchewan RCMP said Friday that officers are patrolling and responding to calls for service in all northern Saskatchewan communities – including in the La Ronge and Creighton detachment areas.

“We are maintaining a strong police presence to deter any people who are thinking of committing crime – and potentially making an already-stressful situation worse for their potential victims”, says S/Sgt. Shawn Carter from Saskatchewan RCMP’s North District Management Team.

Officers are regularly patrolling communities that are evacuated. Earlier in the week, police charged two individuals in relation to thefts reported in evacuated areas.

On Friday morning, officers were conducting proactive patrols in the La Ronge detachment area when they noticed the fire flare-up near the industrial area.

“They knocked on my door and let me know there was fire coming up from behind my house, because I live nearby. They let the fire crews know right away, resulting in a fast response,” said La Ronge Mayor Joe Hordyski, who has remained in the community alongside other essential workers and leaders like Cook-Searson.

“These fires have been a long battle, with a lot of challenges. Fighting them is all about teamwork – and everyone is doing their part.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com