Evacuees from wildfires in northern Sask. take refuge at Regina hotel

Evacuees have arrived in Regina as a wildfire poses a threat to their homes in La Loche and Clearwater River Dene Nation.

Mel Herman and his family were among the evacuees who arrived at a downtown Regina hotel Friday. He said right now, he’s feeling all right.

“I’m out of there and there’s no smoke around here, so that’s pretty good. It’s for the kids too, right? It’s not just for the Elders,” Herman said. “I’m just glad where I’m at right now,”

He described La Loche as getting smoky.

“It was getting worse. It was getting really bad,” Herman said.

According to Herman, this is the first time he has been evacuated, but when it happened, it felt like just a regular day.

The way Herman was feeling was not universally shared. Bertrande Fontaine said she was feeling sad and wanted to go home.

“(I had to leave) my pets and my brother,” she said.

According to Fontaine, where she lived, the smoke was not too bad but towards the other side of town, there was a lot of smoke.

“I actually started packing the day the fire started in Clearwater, so I was prepared,” she said.

Another La Loche resident, Mary Mavis-Sylvester, said she was experiencing some issues with her health.

“I was coughing (and) sneezing and I didn’t sleep all day and all night. I haven’t slept yet,” she said.

Since arriving in Regina, Mavis-Sylvester said she had an itchy throat but it did get better.

She also said she didn’t have long to gather a few of her things. But the rest is back at her home in La Loche.

As of Friday morning, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said the size of the fire remained at 266 hectares.