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A federal report finds aboriginal communities are more in danger from fire

A federal report finds people are 10 times more likely to die in a fire on a reserve than in a city. Today we hear about a devastating fire in an aboriginal community in Saskatchewan, and ask why there are so many more fatal fires on reserves....
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A house burns in Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan last Saturday. Two children are dead and another is hurt after a house fire in the northeastern Saskatchewan community of Pelican Narrows. (CP/HO-Peican Narrows RCMP)
The Current16:18A federal report finds aboriginal communities are more in danger from fire - Jan 24, 2014

A federal report finds people are 10 times more likely to die in a fire on a reserve than in a city. Today we hear about a devastating fire in an aboriginal community in Saskatchewan, and ask why there are so many more fatal fires on reserves.

While we await answers about the fire in L'Isle Verte, Quebec, people in Saskatchewan are wondering about another fatal fire that occurred in an aboriginal community last weekend.

Similarly to the stories from the fire in L'Isle-Verte, Quebec, one man in Saskatchewan risked his own life trying to save others in a fire.

I went out to take my dog out about 8 o'clock in the morning Saturday morning. And as soon as I did, I smelled smoke. My next door neighbour's home was on fire -- the roof totally on fire, smoke coming out of there, flames coming out of there. So, I ran up and kicked the door open. It was dark black and between the roof and the floor, it was all black smoke, eh? I could only see two, three feet from the floor. So, I ran to the living room an I see the lady that lives there, with her son standing there and I see them doing something on the floor there. It was her daughter, yeah. I took the girl and told her, 'We better get out of here, eh?' So, we ran out.Larry Custer, hailed as a hero in Saskatchewan

Last weekend, Larry Custer raced into a burning home in the northern aboriginal community of Pelican Narrows. He saved a mother, her son and her critically injured daughter from the smoke and flames. Only later did he find out that two young boys on an upper floor, died in the fire.

A federal report published in 2010 found people are 10 times more likely to die in a fire on reserve than in a city. This is a great concern to the political leader of Pelican Narrows and several other communities that make up the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.

  • Chief Peter Beatty joined us by phone from Prince Albert.
     
  • Richard Kent is the commissioner of emergency and protective services for the Prince Albert Grand Council. The council includes the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and 25 other aboriginal communities across northern Saskatchewan. We reached Richard Kent in his office in Prince Albert.

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This segment was produced by Regina Network Producer Sean Prpick.

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