Small northern communities face unique struggles in fighting wildfires [Video]

When the Parker Lake wildfire bore down on Fort Nelson, B.C. last year in May, firefighter Sonja Leverkus said finding water to fight the blaze became a significant challenge. 

“The ground was still frozen at the time,” she said. “I seriously recall being on my hands and knees on the fire line, digging into the frozen dirt, still trying to make a sludge to put on some of the hot spots.”

It was just one example of the many challenges remote northern areas can face in fighting fires. As wildfires continue to rage in parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, many of these regions are struggling with issues like access to water, dry conditions, expensive equipment and limited fire-response personnel.

 Drought, for example, can be a major issue in some of these areas, Leverkus said. 

“Places that we used to be able to dig a little hole and pull water …