Nurses who stayed behind in Sandy Bay, Sask., get 'apocalyptic' look at evacuated community

Sandy Bay, a remote northern Saskatchewan community of about 1,800 people, is all but empty. A skeleton crew has remained behind,including some community members who chose to stay, as well asfirefighters who are camping in tents at the local football fieldand a few nurses.

"A lot of times they do backburns and so forth and that puts a lot of smoke in the air," said Todd Brown, the nurse in charge atthe Sandy Bay Health Centre. He's never been this close to a big wildfire.

"[It's] an apocalypse-kind-of-looking landscape at times. You can't see across the water, so forth.It looks dreary.You don't see the sun," Brown said."Right now, the sun is kind of beaming through the smoke."

Other times, he said, some of the smoke clears out and the view improves.

With many of the older residents and those with health issuesevacuated south to cities like Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Regina, the health centre's workload is smaller. But hanging over everything are theforest fires, likethe nearby Flanagan fire, a blaze sized at about 449 square kilometres that's burning on the community's doorstep.

As of Tuesday, a broad range of wildfire firefighters wason site, including Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency-trained personnel, plus mop-up crews and others who are contracted through agreements with First Nations and northern communities. Yukon and New Brunswick are also providing air support units and assistance.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation ordered the full evacuation of Sandy Bay three weeks ago, when the fire was about 130 square kilometres in size. Sandy Bay is among the nine communities that make up Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.Last week, thecommunity of Southend, located 105 kilometres northwest of Sandy Bay, was also ordered to evacuate.

Brown has a home in Sandy Bay and another with his family in Choiceland, Sask., about 270kilometres southwest. He hasbeen working in Sandy Bay for about 15 years.

Typically, there are about four nurses at the health centre. This week, there are three, including Brown, aiding a fraction of the population (about 120 people) and the wildfire firefighters stationed there.

"It's just in case, so there is medical assistance on the ground," he said. "There's still people that need their prescriptions filled and so forth."

WATCH| Video from inside wildfire-evacuated Sandy Bay shared by nurses who stayed behind:

Video from inside wildfire-evacuated Sandy Bay, Sask., shared by nurses who stayed behind

22 days ago

Duration 2:03

Two nurses who remain at the Sandy Bay Health Centre to offer emergency services in the wildfire-evacuated community describe an 'apocalyptic' and 'eerie' feeling on the ground. Dre Erwin, who is also a photographer, captured videos and photos.

Watching the wildfire fight change Sandy Bay

Brown and one of his colleagues, Dre Erwin, can see the wildfire battle from up close.

They can hear the helicopters overhead. Brown said some of the wildfire firefighters battling the blaze are camped out behind the Hector Thiboutot Community School on a local football field, within sight of the centre.

"They're not staying in a hotel and having all those comforts of home," Brown said."They're going into a gymnasium to get food and eating in a hallway of a school."

In an email Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said there are 117 firefighters working on the Flanagan fire, not including support staff or contractors. About 40 to 50 of those firefighters are located in Sandy Bay, where staff are using "various overnight accommodations."

The SPSA said that, depending on transportation needs or restrictions, emergency response staff can stay atline campsset up at or near the fire, temporary bunkhouses can be brought in or a local facility can agree to house staff.

Both Brown and Erwin praised the wildfire firefighters for their hard work attacking the fires.

Erwin, who left the community with an injury before the evacuation, was confronted with the stark changes when he returned. He said the smoke appeared like storm clouds over theeerie and nearly deserted community.

"You walk down the street and all you see are dogs, basically," he said.

Despite the community's appearance, neither Erwin nor Brown want to leave.

"If we leave right now, we leave the community vulnerable, right? So we don't want to do that, either," Erwin said.

Without much to do, Brown andErwinfind busyworkchecking over medications, double-checking the crash care and reorganizing the centre.

The work is the least stressful part of the job. Most of those at risk have been evacuated, meaning those remaining aren't feeling the health effects of the smoke as acutely with the exception of some elders who Brown said wouldn't leave even if a fire was smouldering in their own backyards.

What Brown finds stressful is the potential of a sudden call to flee south, or the terrifying thought that the fires could encircle Sandy Bay.

"I've got my vehicle gassed up 'cause there's no gas station that's going to be open at 3 in the morning," said Brown.

"The uncertainty of what could happen is there."