The Zelensky family's home and crops were miraculously left unscathed by the Cloverdale blaze.(Submitted photo/Mark Zelensky)

By Alison Sandstrom

Wildfire watch

Rollercoaster week for farmers impacted by fire

May 20, 2021 | 6:19 PM

As emergency personnel continue to tackle hot spots within the perimeter of the now contained Cloverdale fire, farmers in the area are getting back to work following a rollercoaster of a week.

“We went from the 30-degree weather that was kind of the impetus for that fire starting, to now this morning it was minus one,” Ryan Scragg, reeve for the RM of Garden River told paNOW.

After a hectic few days of focusing on the blaze, he was back on the field seeding Thursday morning.

Scragg said he’s hopeful the eight homes in the area still under an active evacuation order will be able to return home by Thursday evening or Friday.

Thankfully, no crops in the RM were damaged by the fire, said Scragg.

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“But there have been several farms that are right close to the fire zone and they have been impact because they’ve changed their focus from seeding to protecting their yards and their families,” he explained.

(Submitted photo/Mark Zelensky)

The Zelensky family had one of the closest calls. Their home quarter is located east of Highway 55, just north of the Berg Subdivision that was evacuated Wednesday morning.

Although the exact timeline is “blurry,” Penny Zelensky explained shortly after receiving word of the fire on Monday, the family began coordinating matters. They moved equipment like their tractor and lawnmower out onto the field away from the forest edge. Zelensky’s sons drove up from Saskatoon to assist and neighbours also lent their hands and equipment. Using two tankers—each carrying over 1,000 gallons of water—they started hosing down their home, the yard, and the tree line, as well as putting a sprinkler on the roof.

Police also visited the home, but satisfied with the family’s “command center” and emergency escape route through the field behind the home, the officers determined they could stay.

On Tuesday, the fire breached Highway 55 and ignited trees on the edge of the family’s yard. Zelensky, who was watching from the field estimates it was within 100-200 yards of their home.

“When those trees started on fire, I got a little emotional,” she said. “I was thinking ‘maybe this is it, we’re not going to be able to save the house.”

In an incredible video captured by one of her family members, a chopper extinguishes the flames with a well-timed drop.

“I was just in awe of his accuracy,” Zelensky said, noting she’s deeply grateful to the emergency personnel battling the blaze.

In fact, her overwhelming feeling is one of thanks—for her family, friends, neighbours and the firefighters.

“We came through unscathed really,” she said. “We’re very lucky and we’re very grateful for all the help and support we had.”

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alison.sandstrom@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alisandstrom