Communities step up to battle fast-moving flames near Regina Beach

It took a village — and a lot more — to put out a fire near Regina Beach on Sunday.

Mike Thorley, the chief administrative officer with the Town of Regina Beach, said the fire started near the landfill on Sunday sometime between late morning and early afternoon.

Thorley said a team of firefighters and volunteers stepped up to battle the fast-moving flames which, fanned by high winds, were moving towards people’s homes and acreages in the area.

“I think that of course our community got pretty lucky — and the whole area got lucky — that the winds died down and (firefighters) addressed the fires as fast as they possibly could,” Thorley said Monday.

The Regina Beach Volunteer Fire Department, the Lumsden and District Volunteer Fire Department and the Bethune Fire Department all fought the blaze. As well, farmers and local businesses brought in machinery and water tanks to help.

There is no cause of the fire as of yet.

“There was a pile of volunteers with manpower equipment and machinery (who) came to assist to make sure that the fire didn’t spread any further with the high winds, but also make sure everyone was safe,” said Thorley.

The fire was contained late Sunday afternoon, but there were still fire crews monitoring hot spots on Monday.

Heavy smoke and scorched fields could be seen on photos from social media. Many people thanked firefighters and volunteers to put the flames out.

A little bit of wet weather also helped crews contain the flames.

“We are lucky enough to get a little bit of moisture — like, not much, but a little bit of moisture here and so that moisture will definitely help,” said Thorley.

Thorley said there were no injuries and no major buildings lost to the flames. On Sunday, the RCMP told people to stay away from the area near Highway 54.

With a dry season approaching, Thorley said fires were a concern for all areas of the province.

“This is just a testament of what can happen in a short period of time,” he said.

Earlier this month, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said the 2024 wildfire season could be average or above average in terms of the number of fires.

“It is of no surprise that much of Saskatchewan received below-average precipitation this past winter, and at this time the province is anticipating areas of drought, lower water tables, and higher temperatures for 2024,” SPSA president Marlo Pritchard said April 8. “This means that there are several areas of the province that are at higher risk of grass fires this spring before green up.”

Fire chiefs across the country already have said the number of volunteer firefighters has fallen, which could pose problems for departments tasked with extinguishing wildfires.