Because there is no airstrip, people took turns piling into boats in small groups for a 20-minute journey across a section of Island Lake to St. Theresa Point. Smoke from the blaze also forced out people with health problems from the St. Theresa Point and Garden Hill reserves. But the large aircraft could only use the airstrip at Garden Hill, McDougall said, so he and others had to take a two-hour trip by barge from St. Theresa Point to Garden Hill. McDougall said from his vantage point in Garden Hill, the smoke seemed to be blowing away. “We have some relief today from the smoke but … there’s still some heavy smoke and fires burning in the area.”

Source: National Post August 31, 2017 15:33 UTC