Tina Johnson is unsure if she will have a home to return to, but she's happy she has her horses. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Evacuee support

Tina’s ‘Ark’ finds temporary home in Prince Albert

Jun 7, 2025 | 10:30 AM

When asked to describe the experience of evacuating 11 family members and dozens of animals, Tina Johnson said it was both terrifying and intense.

That was the situation she faced Monday morning when she, her husband, sister, youngest daughter, and eight grandchildren piled into three vehicles and left their farm south of La Ronge due to the Pisew wildfire burning nearby.

Along with their belongings, they loaded up five horses, five dogs, three cats, one rabbit and approximately 60 birds (ducks and chickens).

“A few of our friends on social media were kinda joking about Tina’s Ark,” Johnson said.

On a normal day, the drive from La Ronge to P.A. takes about two and a half hours, but with the traffic congestion and thick smoke, it took Johnson and her family an extra hour. She said her family was near the front of the line so it didn’t take as long as other evacuees to get through – some of whom spent five or six hours on the highway.

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“It was terrifying going through the fires and it was stinky being stuck in a vehicle with 60 birds and dogs,” she said.

A few of the birds did not survive. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

This is actually Johnson’s third evacuation in 10 years. In 2015, they were gone for approximately a month, and three years ago, the fire didn’t threaten the community of La Ronge, but it came close to their farm and they ended up evacuating for about two weeks.

Fortunately for Johnson, she had a friendly connection in the MacDowall area who offered them a place to stay. By the time they arrived at their destination, the animals had been in the trailer for over 12 hours.

Thursday night the fire had come within two kilometers of the farm and Johnson was sure all was lost.

“I know there’s a lot of people out there right now that are very upset and they feel that the leadership isn’t doing enough or the firefighters aren’t doing enough but I mean the main focus right now has to be the community. I can find a way to rebuild. You know, it’s just a house.”

Having previously run equine therapy, Johnson said she would be lost without her horses. More recently though she works at the homeless shelter in La Ronge and acknowledges how close she is to becoming one of her own clients.

Johnson’s oldest daughter is among the fire fighters in La Ronge and on Friday, shared the good news that their house was still standing.

Don Dodge had no issue opening up his property to evacuees. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Don Dodge and his partner Veronica are the ones who opened up their property and said the transition has been smooth.

“Everybody’s grouping together and working together as a real good team,” he explained.

To assist with costs, Park Range donated food for the dogs and lots of other people in the community have donated food, clothing, blankets and bathroom necessities. 


“It was a little overwhelming at first, but we knew we had to help out, and it was a bad situation,” Dodge said.

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