Commissioner Irvine joined Crozier at Fort Carlton. He decided that they could not defend the fort without losing many more lives. They packed what supplies they could and destroyed the rest so that they would not fall into rebel hands.
An accidental fire burned the fort to the ground. The NWMP and the volunteers moved north to Prince Albert. They reinforced the town and settled in to prepare for its protection.
The news of the Duck Lake fight traveled quickly through the west. Settlers were scared - they moved into towns with their families. The towns organized home guards to patrol and to be ready for an attack. Calgary, Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Fort Walsh, Fort Macleod, Battleford and Prince Albert were all on alert.
Almost everyone in the west who had ever served with the NWMP or the Militia either organized a militia unit or was ready to serve with one. Scouts were sent to the reserves of still peaceful tribes to report on any changes.
