While I feel for their losses. I really don’t like the blaming going on here.
Let’s see, dry spring, fire bans all over the place. Big well known, out of control fire around the lake. Yep, lets go to the cabin for the weekend!
While I feel for their losses. I really don’t like the blaming going on here.
Let’s see, dry spring, fire bans all over the place. Big well known, out of control fire around the lake. Yep, lets go to the cabin for the weekend!
Ahhmmm…that is why they are called “WILD FIRES”. The fire doesn’t really care who you are, and if you see water bombers and helicopters all about with smoke rising in the distance; you should logically arrive at some conclusion that you may be in DANGER.
3 MASSIVE CLUES and these geniuses needs the blessed government to the tell them that smoke inhalation and 1200 degree firestorms whipped by local winds, turning the place into a furnace, are bad for your health.
That is almost worth special mention among the DARWIN AWARDs…
Hey nothing like being thankful to be among the living!
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group ‘True North’
Prior to criticising the gov’t “inaction” here, it may be useful to go to Google Maps or whichever map service you may be comfortable with and have a look at where exactly is Nemeiben Lake, Sask…
and…
“”There’s no way in the world they didn’t know we were there,” Wheeler said.” (about 1/3 through the article)
Do you really want the gov’t to know exactly where you are? what’s the point of “getting out of Dodge” if the gov’t still gets to know your location? Maybe a resort would be better for you?
“Their job is to help people, and nobody helped. If our fire department in the city responded that way, I think people would be pretty upset.”
This article is wrong on so many levels. First, it isn’t a city fire department,it’s forest fire fighters whose only job and training to to try to halt the advance of the fire. Most are seasonal workers who may not be locals, and have no idea where cabins are located or any means to warn residents if they did.
The RCMP should have known about the location of cabins and warned residents, and the next line of authority is the Forest Service,who may simply not have had the staff or time to warn the cabin owners. The FS’ primary objective is to put out the damned fire.
I was a forestry technician in the FS for 11 years, worked on many forest fires, never once in that time was I or anyone I worked with asked to advise cabin owners of a fire. Usually the smoke can be seen for miles,and the residents themselves have the common sense make inquiries to the FS or the RCMP as to any danger they might be in.
I wonder about the self preservation instinct of the “victims” in the article, always looking for someone else to lead the way when they should have had the sense of self-responsibility to do whatever is necessary to survive.
Were they all former civil servants?
You honestly have to be some kind of retard to not realize a forest fire is close.
” The next day, he and his wife, Val Morley, watched from their deck as water bombers scooped loads of water off the lake in front of them. ”
That is also a pretty big clue that there may be a fire nearby.
Perhaps the RCMP would have been more motivated if there were guns in the cabins.
Forest fires in the vicinity?
I’d be fireproofing the cabin as best I could and packing up the valuables and momentos. “Just in case.” Cut the grass, move any flammables, water everything really good (there is a lake right there!), double check the insurance is paid up. And drive out before dark. I don’t think I’d get in the hot tub and tune out the world.
So I see the cabin was situated in a stand of jack pine which had its origins in the last crowning wildfire that swept through the area – probably about 80 years ago.
My former boss was a forester who built his retirement cottage with a metal roof and cement siding. Very few conifers remain standing on his property.
Whatever happened to Troy Hurtubuise and his fire paste, anyway? He had a prototype for a water-soluble, foam-sprayable fire retardant that he demonstrated could be used to cover cottages and cabins in fire zones, and just washed off after the fire had passed through.
If I had a cabin, right on a damned lake, even, I’d have at least a two-inch water pump, and hoses, and fixed spray bars or nozzles emplaced such that I just had to couple on cam-locks and fire up the pump to soak down the cabin, any outbuildings and close-by greenery with lake water. And a large enough fuel tank on the water pump that it could run for 4 hours or so unattended.
Fire it up if a fire approaches, or if evacuation notice is given. Even if the pump were to run out of fuel before the fire arrived, the thorough soaking might mitigate some of the damage.
Need more info before I blame/praise anyone. As a matter of course the forestry should be putting out information on fires etc that are active and may involve human interaction. I hearken this to using my radio to hear about any weather warnings/advisories when sailing on the big lake (Gitchi Goomie). Mind you, if I get caught in some local weather phenomenon like a micro-burst then I chalk that up to experience and not try to blame anyone but myself and the weather gods. Same with tornadoes.
I will also state that, even with warning,fires sometimes have a mind of their own and do not follow the rules. Lesser Slave Lake fire comes to mind.
I blame Smoky the Bear for taking early retirement.
common sense is really not so common anymore.
I will add another comment suggested by the title. the average Canadian will always ask what is the government going to do in any circumstance. not what should I do.
How did that couple make it to age 65?
This fella must of been a life long government employee,not much common sense and always ready to blame someone else.
“How did that couple make it to age 65?”
:)))) Yup, old Charles would be scratching his head over this one.