According to Shields, firefighters were on the scene within minutes.
“So there was about six to eight fire trucks here and probably 20 fireman,” he said.
In addition to Liberty's fire department, fire crews from Holdfast, Imperial and Davidson responded to the blaze.
"It's amazing, the amount of support you get from local small towns. It's unbelievable. Like without them we wouldn't have had as much luck last night as we did," Liberty fire chief Kyle Mooney told CTV News.
However, even with the quick response, nothing could have saved the rink.
“They had it under control pretty quick but the arena was gone, there was nothing they could do," Shields said.
"So they were just making sure they saved the pump house and making sure nothing spread.”
The primary concern was the community's water treatment plant, which was full of chemicals and located right beside the blazing inferno.
Fortunately, it was undamaged during the fire.
"Our main focus last night and this morning was just saving that treatment plant because without that we have no water in town," Mooney said.
Liberty’s arena had been condemned for the past several years. Regardless, the loss is being felt in the small community.
“It's a pretty big loss. It hasn't been used much in the last five years. But when it was up and running, a lot of local kids would use it lots and it was a nice place to hang out and have fun as a kid," Mooney explained.
The community remembers the rink as a gathering place with cherished memories.
“We always had good times in the arena with recreational skating,” Shields said.
“This building will be missed.”
While one of the community’s main markers may be gone, Shields explained that he’s just thankful for the actions of the volunteer fire crews.
“Kudos and thank you to the volunteer firefighters, they got here quickly,” he said. “They had control of it within probably 20 minutes, so a job well done to them.”
According to Mooney, no injuries were caused by the fire.
"Everyone went home safe. Everyone is safe right now. So that's all we can be thankful for."
Liberty is located approximately 115 kilometres northwest of Regina.
Four children were found unresponsive on a shoreline in Portneuf-sur-Mer on Quebec's North Shore on Saturday, according to Quebec provincial police (SQ).
New study finds increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada, despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.
Photos released by NASA taken from International Space Station show the immense scale of the wildfires in Nova Scotia, with billowing smoke engulfing the landscape.
At the moment, wildfires are burning across six provinces and one territory in Canada — and they’re still spreading in what’s being called an unprecedented fire season. While firefighters work tirelessly to battle the merciless flames and prevent further destruction, scientists say the wildfires are linked to climate change and that this will be the new normal.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
It's the start of a new season at Moraine Lake and for the first time, you will have to take a shuttle bus to access the famous landmark -- no matter how early you're willing to show up.
Toronto police say the five suspects involved in a stabbing at Kennedy Station Friday night that left a man in critical condition are between the ages of 12 and 15 years old.
Four children were found unresponsive on a shoreline in Portneuf-sur-Mer on Quebec's North Shore on Saturday, according to Quebec provincial police (SQ).
Four children were found unresponsive on a shoreline in Portneuf-sur-Mer on Quebec's North Shore on Saturday, according to Quebec provincial police (SQ).
Police are investigating the "suspicious death" of a man discovered shot dead in downtown Montreal Saturday. According to the SPVM, a man was found around 7:50 a.m. inside an apartment on Saint-Catherine and Beaudry Streets, in Montreal's Gay Village.
Parts of Quebec's controversial language law that took effect Thursday could still be tweaked, according to the minister responsible for the French language.
A wildfire burning out of control on northern Vancouver Island is now estimated to cover 208 hectares, or just over two square kilometres, provincial wildfire officials said Friday.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
A Halifax-area wildfire that forced thousands of residents from their homes over the past week is 85 per cent contained and no longer spreading, officials said Saturday morning.
Evacuees at the Sandy Wickens Memorial Arena in Barrington, N.S., are out of the fire zone but now face their own battle — how to cope with so much uncertainty, and what lies ahead.
Photos released by NASA taken from International Space Station show the immense scale of the wildfires in Nova Scotia, with billowing smoke engulfing the landscape.
