25-06-2025
‘It was left to burn': Sask. family demands answers after wildfire destroys home
A family from East Trout Lake who had their house destroyed by wildfire is wondering why more wasn't done to save it, despite their earlier calls to help save their home.
The Saskatchewan NDP joined Doug and Nick Swiderski, who lost not only their long-time home in East Trout Lake, 160 kilometers northeast of Prince Albert, but also the ashes of their parents and grandparents.
The father and son told media Wednesday morning in Saskatoon that they warned government officials about the growing threat of the wildfires but were dismissed outright. Adding, there was misinformation about their community coming from officials.
'It was left to burn. I had heard at one point that there were reports coming out that there are no permanent residences at East Trout Lake. Well, I got news for them. My driver's license says that I used to live there. So, I'm not there now,' Doug Swiderski said.
The government failed the families of East Trout Lake, according to Jordan McPhail, NDP MLA for Cumberland, who is demanding answers.
'We need to know why this happened and make sure it never happens again,' McPhail said.
The Swiderskis said the cabin meant everything to their family, and they would have done anything to save it.
Doug has lived in East Trout Lake for 55 years, after his parents bought a home there when he was six. Years later, he built a new home on the same spot, where he kept the ashes of his parents after they passed — just as they had asked. That home, and the ashes inside, were destroyed in the fire.
'That cabin meant everything to mom and dad, so it meant everything to me,' Doug said.
'We raised concerns about the fire fast approaching East Trout and were laughed at. That was two days before the entire community burned. There was a complete failure to respond to protect our homes,' Nick Swiderski said.
The Saskatchewan NDP has written to the Provincial Auditor, calling for a full review of wildfire response and the grounding of the province's air tanker fleet.
CTV News has reached out to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and MLA Tim McLeod for comment and is awaiting a response.
