Forest fires ravage cabins at Nemeiben Lake near La Ronge
A dozen or more cabins reported lost to the flames
Cabin owners at Nemeiben Lake near La Ronge have been hit hard by raging forest fires.
Joanne Farbacher, who also lives in Saskatoon, said she knows of roughly a dozen cabins that have burned down so far.
"These cabins have been there since the 70's. These are people who spend - some of them - 80 per cent of their time -- like, that's their life," Farbacher said.
She and her husband first encountered the fires started by lightning strikes after they stopped for a shore lunch at the north end of the lake Saturday afternoon.
Inferno around them
It got worse by the time they went for a boat ride Sunday evening.
"It was an inferno. There was flames to the left, to the right. And behind us. Smoke was so thick we were very disorientated. And our GPS, luckily we had it. And it got us back to our cabin."
When they got back to the cabin, they heard explosions, probably propane tanks, Farbacher said.
Some cabin owners started fleeing the area Sunday night, she went on, but she and her husband held on until Monday morning.
We're just all in shock- Joanne Farbacher, cabin owner
"We chose to stay last night. We felt safe in the cabin. And this morning we were about, probably 20 steps to the water from the front of our cabin there, and we could barely see the water."
She said other owners stayed on the scene, hosing down their cabins to keep them from catching fire.
"We're just all in shock," she went on, choking up. "It's just awful. My first cry. You can't imagine. I feel fortunate that we're still standing right now, but there's no guarantee."
Farbacher said she won't know what kind of shape her cabin is in until the fires subside, and she can go back.
Three of Vicky Marinuk's neighbours are among those who lost their cabins.
"I feel so bad for those people. I can't even imagine losing a cabin where there's so much treasures that have been there for years," Marinuk said.
Fire officials hope overnight rain will give them the upper hand in their fight against the flames.