With no water or equipment, Sask. man stares down wildfire and wins
CTV
A Saskatchewan man literally fought fire with fire in order to spare his cabin from an encroaching blaze.
A Saskatchewan man literally fought fire with fire in order to spare his cabin from an encroaching blaze.
Like others in the area whose properties are under threat by the raging Shaw wildfire, Louis McCallum has been checking on his cabin near Buffalo Narrows on Churchill Lake in northwestern Saskatchewan.
Earlier this week, he arrived to find "one big wall of flame" roaring towards his family cabin.
"We had no equipment, nothing," McCallum told CTV News by phone.
But McCallum, who spent decades fighting wildfires, had a trick up his sleeve.
"Okay, now what do you do as a last option? Just what you call a backfire," McCallum said, estimating the flames were roughly 90 metres away.
A 'backfire' is an advanced firefighting technique that experts warn should only be attempted by those with a great deal of experience. People like McCallum.
