Chief says Cumberland House Cree Nation band office fire was set intentionally

Chief Rene Chaboyer believes an early morning fire in Cumberland House Cree Nation that leveled the community’s band office on Friday was deliberately set.

Chaboyer said a local trapper reported the fire around 5:30 a.m. after noticing smoke trails leaving the band office building.

RCMP arrived at the scene shortly afterwards. According to Chaboyer, it didn’t take long for officers to confirm the cause of the blaze.

“It was confirmed that the fire was arson,” he said. “RCMP confirmed that. (The suspected arsonists) knew what they were doing. There was a wind coming from the southwest and that’s the part of the building where they started it.”

Chaboyer was getting ready to board a plane to Ottawa for the Assembly of First Nation (AFN) Special Chiefs Assembly when he started to receive dozens of phone calls and text messages.

The local fire department was called to the scene, but were unable to do much.

“They didn’t have the capacity to take on the fire as it was getting bigger and bigger,” Chaboyer said.

The closest fully equipped fire department was called in from Carrot River, located more than 150 kilometres away.

“By the time they came around, they could just contain the fire,” Chaboyer said.

A daycare that was extensively renovated recently was also destroyed in the blaze.

In a media release sent Friday afternoon, the band office said information held in the building “cannot be replaced and the loss is insurmountable.”

Chaboyer said his council was working on one of the area’s largest land claim agreements, but it was lost in the fire, as well as other land use maps and photos.

“It’s a shame, it’s a loss, but we’ll get through it,” Chaboyer said.

Not everything in the building was lost. The band office had been digitally converting many of its files in recent years.

Departments working out of the office included housing, income assistance, finance, post-secondary student support and membership.

The small Village of Cumberland House fire department responded to the call. There is no fire department at the adjoining Cumberland House Cree Nation.

“That’s what we’re working towards. Our community is growing larger than our neighbouring municipal (community),” Chaboyer said of his desires to see a fire department on the reserve. “That’s what we’ve been discussing in the last year-and-a-half: building our own fire hall with the capacity of fire trucks, equipment and oxygen tanks.”

“We might have to build it when we build our new band office nearby.”

Chaboyer said the truck that arrived from the village wasn’t large enough to take on a fire at a commercial building. He said lobbying will continue at both a provincial and federal level to try and see a fire hall built in the future.

As far as easing any worries from people in the community, Chaboyer said he will find a solution to keep everyone who worked at the building employed while a search for a temporary office continues.

“This by no means is going to falter us. We’re very resilient people,” Chaboyer said.

Cumberland House is approximately 360 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.