6 days ago
'Anguish is eating me up': Roaring fires, helping hands in northeast Saskatchewan
'I worry about my neighbours,' she said. 'My dad is 85 and in the care home. I worry about everyone in there.'
Strickland's job keeps her in touch with many in the area. Residents of Little Bear Lake, Pickerel Lake and Lower Fishing Lake get their mail in Smeaton.
'I'm afraid people will lose their homes,' she said. 'But we are supporting each other, coming together. At the lakes, people are really pulling together. Business owners and farmers in the area are taking their own equipment out to help.'
Strickland and others in Smeaton and Choiceland said the fires started suddenly in early May and were driven by 70 km/hr winds. Little could be done to prevent them. It took time to mobilize firefighting efforts, but it now appears that more resources are being amassed to attack the SHOE fire.
Cheri Kosowan, owner of Torch River Tavern in Choiceland with her husband, Doug, said the town's highly dedicated fire crew is among those fighting the blaze. She added that SPSA is in the process of setting up a camp for fire personnel at the sports grounds on the town's southeast corner. A drive by the location shows it to be in the early stages of set-up.
A number of people in Choiceland and Smeaton, some with grey hair, said they have never seen the fire season as destructive as it here in 2025.
'The fires are huge,' said a Choiceland resident who did not want to be named. 'It's getting hotter and hotter. It's like Earth is regenerating itself.'
The economic impact to the region is disastrous, Roberta Strickland indicated. 'The tourist industry is basically a write-off.'
In this region of Saskatchewan, where agricultural lands meet the boreal forest, the bush — its lakes, streams, campsites, trails, fish and game — is woven into the life of communities. The forest and all it provides in recreation, employment, food and fun, is fundamental to the culture and lifestyle of thousands living here.
People in First Nations, on farms, in villages and towns, have a deep attachment to the forest lands that are now going up in smoke. The destruction of the heart and soul of the region by fire is devastating. It shows on the faces of those who depend on it for their well-being.
