A view of the fire. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Nigel Maxwell

Fire response

Muskoday fire dept. confirms grass fire responsible for loss of three sheds, but all homes saved

May 10, 2024 | 4:00 PM

The Muskoday Volunteer Fire Department is expressing their appreciation to the multiple agencies, who helped contain a fast moving grass fire and prevented the loss of any homes.

Thursday’s initial 9-1-1 call came in around 12:45p.m and originated from South Hill Road. As per a statement on the fire dept.’s social media page, when they arrived, mutual aid was immediately requested.

“High winds made this fire very challenging. It was a very fast moving fire which required a large team to save the many homes that were in the direct path of the fire,” the statement said.

The fire, which according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency was contained at 120 hectares, originated in a field and was driven east by winds gusting between 30 km and 50 km/hour.

While 10 homes were evacuated for safety reasons, the fire dept. confirmed all the homes were saved. And there were no injuries reported.

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“We fought very hard to save out buildings and sheds but unfortunately we lost three sheds in two yards,” the fire dept. said.

Fire crews were exposed to very smoky conditions. (Facebook/ Muskoday Volunteer Fire Dept.)

Sarah Bear was among the people forced to leave her home and as of Friday. She told paNOW the power had to be shut off because the power pole and lines that were right beside her house and attached to it, burnt.

“And the power meter melted on the house. Sask power is there now working on that,” she said.

Noting how she expects to get more information Monday, and the amount of smoke damage inside the home, Bear expressed her gratitude the house was saved.

In addition to the Muskoday Volunteer Fire Dept., Birch Hills Fire & Rescue was involved, as well as Saskatchewan First Nation Emergency Management, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, Prince Albert Fire Department, Muskoday Security, RCMP and Garden River Fire & Emergency Services.

Chief Ron Bear expressed his gratitude for the support.

“The community members of Muskoday First Nation are so grateful for the tremendous jobs done by all the fire department, fire service agencies, Band staff members, MFN Security Services, the RCMP, the Leadership and our people and families that provided assistance in fighting this fire,” he said.

Bear also noted having a wild fire of this nature, shows that the community’s volunteer fire dept. needs much more fire fighting equipment and other resources in order to keeping the community safe from wild fires.

“The cost of this type of fire will be in the in the one hundred to two hundred thousand dollar range, once all the costs are satisfied,” he said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation but was reported on Thursday to be related to human activity.

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell