A state of emergency has been declared on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation, after a fire destroyed the water treatment plant on Monday night.
“(It happened) just shortly after nine o’clock. I jumped up right away when I got the phone call,” said Scott Eashappie, Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation councilor. “I tried the water taps and then I was out the door to see if it was a little fire or a big fire.”
Eashappie noticed smoke coming from inside the water treatment plant. Fire crews and RCMP responded to the blaze shortly after.
“We were trying to evacuate everyone through the two subdivisions. We slowly got to everyone’s door. It was really smoky here,” Eashappie said.
Residents were taken to the community hall, where Eashappie said leaders handed out bottled water and coffee.
The treatment plant, which was built in 2012 and did not have a sprinkler system, collapsed around 1 a.m. Fire crews remained on scene into the early morning hours.
Now, Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation is searching for a source of water. Eashappie said some homes on the nation do not have running water.
“We have over 250 homes here. We have 1,100 in population living out here. So, (the plant) is a main source of everyday needs,” Eashappie said.
“Currently, we are getting bottled water actually brought in. I know we have a lot of people coming in from Red Cross, and they’re coming in to bring bottled water. We’re just waiting for shipments to come,” said Brady Owatch, chief of Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation.
Fire crews are also concerned about smoke from toxic materials coming from the facility. Investigators are still determining a cause.
This is the second time a first nation has lost its water treatment plant to fire in less than a year. Piapot's plant burned down in late October. Sources on the reserve told CTV News the cause is believed to be electrical.
