Saskatoon

Cabin owner documents 'haunting' destruction of East Trout Lake, Sask., by wildfire

Nathan Pitka returned to East Trout Lake on the weekend to see for himself what is left of the townsite there. Not a single structure was left standing, he says.

Nathan Pitka says not a single structure left standing

Rubble and ashes and burned trees.
All the structures at the townsite at East Trout Lake were destroyed after the Shoe fire reached the area last week. (Submitted by Trina Glass)

Nathan Pitka says it was a difficult journey up to East Trout Lake, Sask., to see the absolute devastation to the townsite.

He had seen the drone footage released by the province last week that showed an overhead view of the flattened cabins, but it didn't fully prepare him for what it was like on the ground.

"What we saw was haunting," Pitka said in an interview on Tuesday.

"We were at a loss of words to what we saw. The entire community had been devastated. There wasn't a single structure standing in the community."

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Pitka's extended family had five cabins at East Trout Lake, about 150 kilometres north of Prince Albert. He had gone up there last month and planned to spend the summer there, like usual. But when the evacuation order from the resort subdivision came on May 21, he packed up and left.

Burned buildings and trees.
Nathan Pitka's dashcam captured footage of the devastation at East Trout Lake when he travelled there on Saturday. (Submitted by Nathan Pitka)

One week later, Pitka got the news that the Shoe fire had burned through. That fire is still the biggest one burning in the province, last measured at more than 400,000 hectares as of Tuesday morning.

Pitka has been staying in Saskatoon. On Saturday, he travelled up to East Trout Lake to document the devastation for himself and the other cabin owners.

He shared the footage from his dashcam with CBC News, showing the journey up past Candle Lake and through the forest.

WATCH | Wildfire evacuee shares haunting images of East Trout Lake region: 

'Every structure had burned to the ground': wildfire evacuee shares haunting images of East Trout Lake region

2 days ago
Duration 2:02
Nathan Pitka drove to East Trout Lake, Sask., on May 31 to assess the damages to his property. He shared dash cam video footage that documented the devastation caused by the wildfire that swept through the region from May 26 to 28.

"We thought it was important for ourselves, but also to let others in the community see the extent of the damage and devastation," Pitka said.

He described areas of scorched forest with nothing but stumps. The sky was dark with smoke and fires were still smouldering in the ditches.

Burned cabins and trees.
There were still hot spots and a lot of smoke in the air on Saturday. (Submitted by Trina Glass)

Piles of metal and concrete are all that's left of the cabins. He took photos of each site to share with other cabin owners, so others wouldn't have to make the journey.

Pitka said he and his family are grieving the destruction at East Trout Lake, which is "more than a location" — it's been the gathering site for his family for nearly 50 years.

"I think I'm speaking for a lot of the residents that are out there," he said. "These have been multi-generational cabins and used year-round for connecting with the land and escaping the stresses of life."

His family is working on how they're going to stay connected this year, without their beloved gathering place.

A burnt bicycle frame.
A burned bicycle is seen among the destruction at East Trout Lake. (Submitted by Trina Glass)

On Tuesday, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) president Marlo Pritchard took a moment at the start of his daily briefing to acknowledge the "fear of the unknown" for those waiting to see what will happen to their homes, and the loss that others have already experienced.

"I really want to acknowledge and give my thoughts and prayers to those that have been impacted directly, or indirectly, of these fires," Pritchard said. "There's a number of individuals that have lost property; we've had a number of individuals evacuated … that are sitting, waiting to hear whether their property has been impacted."

On Monday, parts of the Northern Village of Denare Beach were consumed by the Wolf fire as it encroached on the community, near the Manitoba border in the province's northeast.

La Ronge and surrounding communities were evacuated Monday as the Pisew fire approached from the north. Evacuees reported scary, long journeys south in convoys through flames and smoke from two other fires in the area — the Shoe and Ditch02 fires.

About 8,000 people have been evacuated from northern Saskatchewan due to wildfires so far, according to the SPSA.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 21 wildfires burning in the province and the year-to-date total is 230, far above the five-year average of 132 fires for the same period.

WATCH | First look at devastation for East Trout Lake property owners:

RAW | First look for property owners of how fire devastated East Trout Lake

2 days ago
Duration 1:39
Some property owners whose cabins and homes at East Trout Lake in Saskatchewan were burnt by the Shoe fire got a first-hand look at the charred rubble.

Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah Spray

Reporter/Editor

Hannah Spray is a reporter and editor for CBC Saskatoon. She began her journalism career in newspapers, first in her hometown of Meadow Lake, Sask., moving on to Fort St. John, B.C., and then to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.