A major fire at Jackfish Lake caused damage to three cabins Tuesday, with two cabins destroyed.
The fire started late Tuesday night and firefighters were busy through the night trying to get the blaze under control. Volunteer firefighters were finally able to leave the scene around 4 a.m.
Battlefords Rural RCMP were notified of the fire are Delorme Beach in Battlefords Provincial Park at about 10:30 p.m. The park is approximately 35 kilometres north of the Battlefords.
When they got to the scene, police report the fire had engulfed one cabin and was spreading rapidly to other cabins along the shoreline.
Firefighters received the call about the blaze soon after the RCMP arrived. By the time area firefighters were able to get to the scene, the rapidly moving fire had destroyed two cabins andhad already caused substantial damage to athird, according to RCMP
"Both houses were pretty much in flames by the time we got there," said Misty Hulit, a volunteer fire fighter with the Cochin Fire Department. "You could feel the heat right away out our window."
She said it was clear right away they wouldn't be able to save the two blazing houses.
Hulit reported the smoke was thick and went straight up, and was visible going into the provincial park.
Another Cochin firefighter, Joe Hulit, said the heat from the fire was a major obstacle for the firefighters.
"When we first arrived we couldn't park within 30 to 40 feet, it was so hot," he said.
Joe said the goal of firefighters once they made it on the scene was to keep the fires from spreading to any more cabins.
The firefighters were able to save most of the third cabin that was on fire, although one side was badly burned.
There were some scary moments. One electrical panel on one of the houses on fire went off and sparked into "fireworks." As well, a nearby gas line exploded from the heat.
Despite this, there have been no reports of injuries.
The two volunteer firefighters say the fires were not brought under control until about 4 a.m. Wednesday. On hand to fight the blaze were about six firefighters from Cochin Fire Department and 13 from Meota Fire Department, they said. Glaslyn fire department was also called to the scene later.
Joe estimated there were four fire engines and a couple of tankers at the scene, with about 24 firefighting personnel combating the blaze. There was also an ambulance on scene, as well as police and plenty of bystanders.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The value of property loss has yet to be determined.
