Without fire hydrants, this northern Manitoba community uses buckets to fight fires [Video]

Volunteer firefighters in Tataskweyak Cree Nation have turned to buckets to fight fires due to the lack of running water in parts of the community.

“We use water [in buckets] to put out the fire because the pumps don’t work. Our hydrants haven’t been fixed in 40 years,” volunteer firefighter Virginia Audy told CBC News. 

Tataskweyak, a Manitoba First Nation more than 700 kilometres north of Winnipeg, has a fully volunteer fire department and currently, no working fire truck.

It’s among First Nations that have never had full water service to every home, but even where there is water, almost all of the fire hydrants — which are at least 40 years old — don’t work, fire Chief Melvin Cook Jr. said.

“Some of them have been removed. There’s lots that are not put back where they should be, where they need to be,” Cook said.