After ‘historic’ fires, Cree fire marshal wants more training for community members
MONTREAL — As the threat to northern Quebec Cree communities from historic wildfires diminishes, the Cree Nation’s top firefighter is looking to a future where destructive blazes like those that have been burning for weeks become more common
Millions of hectares of forest have burned in the Cree territories, at times driving thousands of people from their homes. While the flames didn’t reach any of the province’s nine Cree communities, cabins, traplines and hunting grounds have been lost, said Lee-Roy Blacksmith, the regional fire marshal for the Cree Nation Government.
“There’s going to be a lot of grieving because that’s their land. They were born and raised in the land,” Blacksmith said of the hunters and trappers. “The food that they gather won’t be the same.” For some, the loss of cabins will be painful, he said in a recent interview, because of “all the memories that they built throughout those years.”
There will also be a financial loss for community members, Blacksmith said. For some, their cabins couldn’t be insured because they’re too old, while others have lost boats and ATVs. Many hunters had to leave so quickly they didn’t have time to properly store geese killed during the recent hunting season, he said.