Wildfire destroys Flotten Lake cottages in Meadow Lake Provincial Park

A wildfire burns west of Waterhen Lake First Nation. (Courtesy: Facebook/David Fluery).

A wildfire burning in Meadow Lake Provincial Park wiped out every cottage in one subdivision over the weekend.

The “Tuff fire” destroyed 13 cabins in the subdivision of Flotten Lake, according to John Michael, an owner of one of the cottages.

“It’s unbelievable,” Michael, who’s also president of the Flotten Lake Cottage Subdivision, said, noting the May long weekend usually marks the start of summer for his family.

“We spend some of our summer holidays as a family. We've been doing it for many years, since 1980 in our case. It's very difficult for all of us.”

The Tuff fire, now roughly 6,500 hectares in size, prompted an evacuation order early last week for people living on the Waterhen Lake First Nation. The order was lifted Thursday, with most residents returning home Friday morning, after officials ruled the fire no longer a risk to the First Nation or the community’s access road.

The blaze was not contained as of Tuesday, according to the Saskatchewan government’s wildfire management branch.

The branch has yet to confirm how many buildings were destroyed by the fire over the weekend, but said crews are on scene assessing damage and notifying owners.

Flotten Lake Campground is closed because of the fire, according to Tourism Saskatchewan.