Fire destroys 2 landmark buildings in Sask. village

A fire Tuesday afternoon in Wiseton, Sask., a village roughly 115 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon, destroyed two long-standing buildings.

The fire department from nearby Dinsmoreresponded to the fire at 1:42 p.m. CST on Tuesday.Terry Orban, a fire dispatcher from Dinsmore, said she was one of at least 25 firefighters who responded.

Orban said the fire started in a truck, then travelled to a nearby two-storey hotel and an adjacent building that housed the village post office and the village office.Both the buildings are a total loss, she said.

"It is unfortunate because the village of Wiseton housed all of their records [there], so a lot of the history was lost, and we're uncertain what the status of the Canada Post office will be now," she said.

"It's always a sad day for us too, when we can't save structures like that. But when the radiant heat is so hot and the flames are so high, there's only so much you can do. Our guys did a good job and we're proud of them."

The Wiseton fire is the latest in a string of hotel fires in the province.

Wiseton had a population of 64 people in 2021, according to thecensus. Some of the localswere pivotal in putting the fire out, Orban said.She said residents helped with water trucks, as theradiant heat was too intense for a nearby hydrant to be usable.

She said nearby towns of Elrose and Mildenalso pitched in with trucks, tankersand manpower.

Orban said it took responders about six hours to douse the fire. Some were back at the location Wednesday afternoon because the fire had rekindled in some spots, she said.

WATCH |Fire in village of Wiseton, Sask., destroys hotel, post office:

Fire in village of Wiseton, Sask., destroys hotel, post office

17 days ago

Duration 0:58

Afire Tuesday afternoon in Wiseton, Sask.,a villageroughly 115 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon, destroyed two long-standing buildings.

Orban said the hotel had ceased to function as a commercial property and was being used as a residence. The fire department didn't report any injuries, but said the owner of the hotel was taken to the hospital and was released shortly after.

Orban said she spoke with community members in the area.

"They're feeling very devastated about it all. They're not sure what their next steps will be, if they'll be able to recover from it or not."

The fire department said it's expecting to get to any remaining hotspots by end of day Wednesday, Orban said.