'The longest ride I ever had': Pinehouse residents evacuate to Regina as Muskeg Fire nears community

CBC

3 days ago

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Residents of the northern village of Pinehouse, Sask., had a long drive south Wednesday night after wildfires forced them to evacuate to Regina by convoy.
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Andrew Netmaker was in the middle of getting ready for work when he received the call to evacuate the village, which is about 575 kilometres northwest of Regina.
"It kind of caught me off guard," he said.
"Knowing that the safety of the community was at risk … the people in charge told us it was a mandatory evacuation."
Netmaker packed "nothing super personal," only taking his clothes and hygiene items.
"I couldn't even bring much that I wanted to, but I understand in the heat of the moment it's not really something to prioritize," he said.
Netmaker left as part of the first convoy of evacuees around 9:30 p.m. CST Wednesday and arrived in Regina just before 6 a.m. Thursday.
"I haven't gotten any sleep, but that's just how it is," Netmaker said.
He said they saw "a few fires burning" about 20 minutes out of the northern village.
"Nothing too big, but not something you're comfortable with at all," Netmaker said. "It was kind of frightening and I am happy to be away from that."
Jeffrey Natomagan was also part of the first convoy late Wednesday night.
He made his way to the community hall, where those with rides were separated from those taking buses.
"As soon as the road opened we got our first convoy out," Natomagan said.
The second bus followed behind shortly after.
The evacuation was not as frightening as some Natomagan has experienced in the past.
"The town made it feel comfortable," he said, adding the evacuation was managed well.
He said he saw more fire crews coming in with three bulldozers as the buses were leaving.
"I am very confident," he said about the community's firefighting efforts.
Bonnie Kim Natomagan also left the village late Wednesday night.
"That's the longest ride I ever had," she said.
She was joined by some of her family, including her youngest daughter and her granddaughter.
"I think I only had one hour of sleep," she said.
She said it's the third time she has had to evacuate, buther first time coming to Regina.
"It's beautiful out here," she said.
She expects to stay in Regina for the next week or two.
Shelley Natomagan works with the Kineepik Métis Local and arrived in Regina a week ago to help accommodate evacuees. She's also a resident of Pinehouse.
She said they've been busy since the two buses of evacuees arrived early Thursday morning.
"We're still working to try and get everyone settled and in the right hotels," she said.
Evacuees have been accommodated across four Regina hotels, including the Ramada in the city's downtown area.
"I'm just really grateful and thankful for all the help that we've been getting in the city," Shelley said.
"It helps us to, you know, to be comfortable here and not feel like, lonely for home."
The call to evacuate
The Facebook page for the village asked residents Wednesday to pack lightly and prepare for the trip south.
"This will be a long trip as we will be going further down south. Please pack water, snacks, anything you would need for a long trip," the post said.
Buses were available to take residents to Regina, according to the post.
The community is being threatened by the Muskeg Fire, which also encroached on the neighbouring community of Beauval.
Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) vice-president Steve Roberts said the eastern side of that fire, opposite Beauval, is now impacting the area around Pinehouse.
"That community will now be going under an evacuation order and removing all of their non-essential residents," Roberts said.
Meanwhile, non-vulnerable residents of Beauval were allowed to return home yesterday. Beauval Mayor Rick Laliberte previously told CBC the community is better protected from the Muskeg Fire as there's a river separating it from the village.
"The southern part of the fire has been very well secured," Roberts said, but other areas of the Muskeg fire are threatening communities like English River First Nation and the hamlet of Patunak.
Roberts said 11 communities across Saskatchewan were currently evacuated and around 3,000 people are displaced across Saskatchewan due to wildfires, as of Wednesday afternoon.