Wildfire destroys Namushka Lodge
Blaze was too hot, moving too fast and too smoky for crews to battle, according to ENR officials
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Everyone was able to escape unharmed but a forest fire has claimed a cherished family fishing lodge on Harding Lake, about 50 kilometres east of Yellowknife.
Namushka Lodge burned on Friday night about 24 hours after the fire started near kilometre 56 on the Ingraham Trail.
This is how Namushka Lodge looked on Sunday after an out of control wildfire swept through the property on Friday evening. - photo courtesy of Facebook |
The fire, which had reached about 64 square kilometres in size and was still considered out of control as of Monday, forced the evacuation of Reid Lake Territorial Park as well as Camp Connections, a camp for foster children located on the Cameron River. A cabin located about 15 kilometres north of Namushka Lodge on Pickerel Lake was also burned in the fire.
It is being looked at as the possible location of where the fire began, according to Richard Olsen, manager of fire operations for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR). Investigators were to be on scene starting today to look for the cause of the fire, Olsen said.
The lodge is owned by the Chorostkowski family of Yellowknife. No family members were available for comment as of press time. A family member did make a post on the Namushka Lodge Facebook page.
"For those of you that have been following the fire situation, we sadly confirm that as of 7 p.m. (Friday) night, Namushka Lodge was consumed by the Reid Lake wildfire. We have had so many good memories over the last 34 years we have owned Namushka," the post stated.
"It's hard to even think that it is actually gone even though I have walked through its ashes. My mom said it best when she said it's like losing one of your family members. Thanks to all the people texting, calling and e-mailing their support. The fire came through so fast that some of us never even had time to grab ... bags from the cabins. There was no warning from ENR. We will sit down as a family and decide what is next. We will rebuild, there was never a doubt. The memories will continue for our children and their friends just as it was when my brother and I grew up."
Olsen said he is not sure that there was no warning about the fire from ENR.
"I think there was a briefing with the owners sometime on Friday with the regional superintendent. I think they were aware of the possibility this might occur," he said.
Evacuations are the responsibility of the Municipal and Communities Affairs (MACA) Emergency Measures Organization.
But Kevin Brezinski, MACA's director of public safety, said that is more for the communities not necessarily lodges and campgrounds.
"With lodges, it's a different entity because should evacuation be necessary, it would be required, in all likelihood, immediately. We are not set up like a 9-1-1 dispatch to deploy resources at a moment's notice - logistically it's impossible," Brezinski said. "That makes it infinitely important that lodges and camps have emergency response plans."
According to Amber Simpson, spokesperson for ENR, conditions were such on Friday night that it was just too dangerous to send crews in to fight the fire.
"A shift in wind direction ... directed the fire towards Harding Lake, away from he highway," Simpson said. "High winds grounded aircraft Friday night and extreme fire behaviour resulted in the loss."
Olsen said winds gusted up to 50 km/h, the speed of the growing fire and very warm temperatures made the fire too dangerous for firefighters to battle it from the air or the ground.
As of yesterday, Olsen said there were 10 four-person crews fighting the fire along with four helicopters and two water bombers as well as a five-member incident command team. Fire fighters have made Camp Corrections their base to fight this fire.
Crews will be eating and sleeping at that site and drums have also been moved there with fuel for the choppers. Olsen added the Ingraham Trail will remain closed to traffic in the area until ENR is sure that it is safe to reopen, although it was opened briefly to campers on Monday to allow access to the park and Camp Connections to retrieve their belongings from the campgrounds. The fire hasn't reached the park located on the northwest side of the lake, but is burning out of control, south of Reid Lake, said Olsen.
Olsen said he feels strongly that firefighters did all they could to try to save the lodge. He said he feels badly for the family that lost their lodge but added firefighters do not have time to dwell on it.
"Sometimes with fires like these there's really not a lot you can do, especially if the fire is moving rapidly and has a lot of force behind it. In a lot of cases ... you just have to get out of the way," Olsen said.
"It's most unfortunate."
