Hilliard Leon Gamble has been working as a firefighter in Saskatchewan for the last 20 years and this is the busiest fire activity he's ever seen in the province.

Gamble and his crew recently arrived at the Montreal Lake Cree Nation to keep fires away from the community.

Gamble said he's already seen his fair share of frightening situations this year. He and his crew have already had to run away from several crown fires, where fire burns trees up their entire length to the top, creating a wall of flames.

"It's not a happy time when that happens," he said.

Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation fire crew. (Submitted by Hilliard Leon Gamble)

He said bad weather can be just as frightening.

"We had a lightning strike roll through. It was about four in the afternoon, and it was just pitch black," he said. "You couldn't see nothing. All you could see was the lightning around you."

Hilliard is from the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation and firefighting has become a family tradition.

"It's been in my family for years," he said. "My dad did it, my uncle did it, and it's kind of a family thing for me. I've been out there ever since I was 16."

The Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation crew have been fighting forest fires near the Montreal Lake Cree Nation. (Submitted by Hilliard Leon Gamble )

Hilliard is working with a crew of his cousins. He said it's important to be able to trust your team.

"There's a lot of joking and having fun," he said. "And then there's the seriousness of the fires and how threatening they are to the people on the line."

Ultimately, Hilliard said there is one main reason why he does his job.

"Just to see the people's faces when they're allowed to go back home," he said. "It's been hard to see these people in their state."