A state of emergency has been declared in Cat Lake following the destruction of its nursing station in a weekend fire.
Officials with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service say they responded to a call of a structural fire just before 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Upon arrival they found smoke and flames coming from the structure, and despite attempts by the community to extinguish the fire, it was deemed too dangerous to continue suppression efforts at 11:46 p.m., and the building was completely lost.
An investigation is now underway by both NAPS and the Ontario Fire Marshal into the cause of the blaze.
The loss of the station has left the community without any health facility with a request now in to allow access for alternative measures for residents.
Additionally, water continues to flow into the nursing station through the waterlines, which is causing the community’s reservoir to run dry.
Attempts to locate the valve and shut it off are underway and as a result the community has no access to water from the water plant not being monitored during the fire.
In a post to social media Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu has indicated federal support following the fire.
Just learned of the fire in Cat Lake First Nation’s nursing station.
We will be at the community’s side during this difficult moment so they have everything they need. We will also support them as they recover from this.
— Patty Hajdu (@PattyHajdu) March 3, 2024
