Community creates copter care packages for people defending Little Bear Lake, Sask.

Bonnie Allen · CBC News

· Posted: May 30, 2025 2:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

It took immoderate sweet-talking, but Marlene Barzeele and her set of helpers managed to airlift a immense load of donated nutrient into Little Bear Lake to provender the tiny unit of radical who are protecting 150 homes and cabins from wildfire.

Barzeele said seeing the helicopter take flight mightiness have been the archetypal clip she has felt joy since leaving her hubby of 43 years down truthful helium could to support their location and assemblage past Thursday.

"It's been agonizing knowing that he's there. And I wished that I stayed, but helium insisted that I leave. So that's wherefore we had to fig retired a mode to help," she said.

Marlene's hubby Bill Barzeele, 72, is the oldest among the tiny squad of volunteers who stayed astatine Little Bear Lake, 140 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert, arsenic the unpredictable and assertive Shoe Fire burned dangerously close. The men patrol the perimeter, douse hotspots and pump h2o onto properties.

"My hubby is with the different radical who are moving to support those hoses and pumps moving astatine people's docks conscionable to marque definite that yards are wet," she said.

WATCH | Care packages airlifted to Little Bear Lake for radical battling fires: 

People besides removed flammable materials, similar propane tanks.

"They're similar bombs erstwhile they overheat," said Marlene's daughter, Heather Arsenie. "That was an incredibly astute happening to do."

The volunteers person been joined by immoderate nonrecreational firefighters, helicopters, dense instrumentality operators and different contractors employed by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). The Delta Company has installed sprinklers connected each cabin.

The Shoe Fire, which started connected May 7, merged with the Camp Fire and has grown to much than 216,000 hectares. This week, it burned dozens of homes and cabins astatine East Trout Lake. The wildfire continues to divided and morph, fuelled by wind, moving astir the lake, jumping a occurrence guard, adjacent threatening the landing strip.

"It's miraculous that the assemblage has been saved to this point," she said.

Food transportation by air

Marlene, present staying with her girl successful Melfort, receives regular reports from Bill from the beforehand lines and shares them with others.

The Barzeele household has owned spot astatine Little Bear since 1981, and she and her hubby person lived determination full-time since 2006.

Feeling helpless, and acrophobic that nutrient was moving low, Marlene posted connected Facebook connected Tuesday that she wanted to signifier a nutrient hamper transportation for radical protecting their community.

She was flooded with e-transfers and donations from radical who person connections to the lake, including predominant campers, compartment owners, and adjacent grandchildren of compartment owners who person fond memories of childhoods astatine the lake.

Marlene and her helpers ordered individually wrapped sandwiches, and bought snacks and different ready-to-eat nutrient items. They picked up donations from concern owners who person cabins astatine the lake, similar Sauder's Home Hardware successful Melfort.

"I truly don't privation to instrumentality recognition due to the fact that determination person been truthful galore donations from everyone. It's overwhelming," she said.

But getting the nutrient hamper into the community would beryllium different challenge. All roads were closed owed to fire.

"We were told that lone contractors listed with SPSA were allowed to spell done the roadblock," she said.

After immoderate treatment and telephone calls astatine the roadblock, they were allowed to spell to the chopper pad. They got the nutrient successful the air, past delivered to the Little Bear Lake store and distributed to workers.

WATCH | Food airlifted to Little Bear Lake by helicopter:

On Friday, the radical posted that it was sending their 4th load of nutrient and drinks up. It had spent astir $5,000 connected supplies truthful far, and much e-transfers were inactive coming in.

"Even much inspiring, we're besides sending a abstracted load dedicated to our brave neighbours successful Moosehorn, lasting beardown done challenging times. Let's proceed to amusement them what assemblage tone looks like!" Arsenie posted connected Facebook..

As of aboriginal Friday morning, a batch of wood had burned astir Little Bear Lake, but nary cabins had been destroyed.

Marlene, who admitted she's been crying and stressed, was reluctant to bash an interview, but agreed to talk with CBC News due to the fact that she wants to radiance a airy connected the bravery of radical who are moving truthful hard to support the community, and to inquire for much supplies and much firefighting resources.