By Joel van der Veen

LA RONGE — Like many people in Saskatchewan right now, Flo Shaw is keeping a close eye on the news.

Countless lives have been turned upside down in the past couple of weeks, with more than 100 active wildfires burning and thousands being evacuated from the northern part of the province.

But Shaw’s mind is on two people up north who aren’t able to leave: her son Nathan and his wife Marsha, both officers with the RCMP detachment in La Ronge.

An evacuation order for the town was issued on July 4. Residents seeking shelter down south were advised to take only one bag, necessary medication and no pets.

The Shaws’ four children — Brooklyn, Connor, Colton and Kellan — are out of harm’s way, staying with their grandparents at Etter’s Beach and taking swimming lessons on the lake.

But Const. Nathan Shaw and Corp. Marsha Shaw remain on the line of duty, as efforts continue around them to contain and extinguish the wildfires.

“We can’t talk too much because they have to keep the phone lines open,” Flo said last week from her home in Davidson, adding that she finds the situation “pretty scary.”

Besides the constant news reports, she also gets updates through through text messages and photos sent via cellphone. One picture sent by Marsha showed street lights glowing at 3 p.m.

“The street lights looked like little pin dots, it was so smoky,” she said. “I really don’t know how they’re managing.”

Nathan grew up in Davidson, while his wife, the former Marsha Knoblauch, is from Imperial.

Flo said the two of them will remain in the area unless a total evacuation becomes necessary, adding, “I’m hoping for rain, but it’ll take a lot.”

Other families in the district are also thinking about loved ones further north.

Elizabeth Parks of Craik said Thursday that her daughter, Margaret Floch, is staying in La Ronge where she serves as manager of the Co-op grocery store.

Parks said her daughter was prepared to evacuate when she was asked personally by Mayor Thomas Sierzycki to stay behind to keep the store open so that emergency workers, volunteers and others could continue to purchase necessary items.

Food supplies are being trucked in daily from the cities, and last week 350 people were fed at a supper provided for the volunteers.

Floch’s husband, David, is a mechanic servicing the water bombers being used to fight the fires, but thick smoke can hamper the pilots’ efforts by obscuring visibility.

Their two sons — Keagan, 16, and Kieran, 12 — are staying with close friends in Prince Albert.

The Flochs have left their house, packing their needs in a truck and fifth-wheel, and will be able to leave quickly if the situation escalates.

“They’re in touch all the time,” said Parks, adding that her daughter “calls me every day from the store.”

She said they haven’t suffered from any health issues yet, despite the smoke. Parks also described the evacuation process, explaining that police tracked people as they left town.

For the full story, please see the July 13 edition of The Davidson Leader.