| Comments | On May 19th, a wildfire had just been spotted when it reached and burned the small community of Lac La Biche, AB. It was an ideal fire season for the area; the winter of 1919 had a low snowfall, followed by an early spring drought, and hot and dry conditions in May. Within hours, the entire community had burned down, except for the local inn, church, train station and a few other buildings. Property damage and inventory losses were estimated to be over $200,000 (1919 CAD). This fire, however, was part of a larger complex that stretched to Prince Albert, SK, and Meadow Lake, SK (over 300 km east). In total, the fire burned over 2 million ha (20,000 km2) of forest. Indigenous lands and people were also deeply affected by this fire. For example, the fire reached a small Cree hunting party on Sekip Lake, SK, resulting in the death of 11 individuals, and the injury of 12 others. |