I have always wanted to start a blog to remember important things in life and always have something to go back and read years later. I decided to start with our story and what we experienced the days leading up to May 3, 2016 as a forest fire raged through our city.
"There are moments which mark your life. Moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts, before this, and after this" -unknown
"There are moments which mark your life. Moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts, before this, and after this" -unknown
Sunday May 1st
I got out of bed that morning had a chat with the kids and asked Makayla to look after the boys while I hooked up our new taps in the bathrooms.I needed my sink back! It had been about a week and half since we finished our renovations and we hadn't installed the taps in the master & main bath upstairs Makayla and Mackenzie took the boys in the backyard to play while I got to work. I finally finished and started cleaning up around the house. Looking out the patio window I checked on the kids, Makayla had moved Waylon's playhouse and it fell apart and was in pieces. I opened the door and yelled at her to drag it back and put it back together. She couldn't get it together without my help so I told her to leave it and come inside. We had lunch and I kept working around the house trying to get some organization around the house since the carpet installer would be coming Monday morning. Later in the afternoon Jamie sent me a text to start getting ready he was taking me out for supper, he was driving home with his boss and would be home at 7pm. I made supper for the kids and started getting ready. I hadn't been on my phone all day so when I went on to check Facebook I had seen a bunch of posts about fires around Fort Mcmurray. I just thought "wow its an early start this year". We always have fires during the summer around Fort Mcmurray, after all we are surrounded by trees". I peeked out the window in my room and could see smoke. I walked downstairs and went out the front door and then out the back, I could see and smell a lot of smoke.
I got out of bed that morning had a chat with the kids and asked Makayla to look after the boys while I hooked up our new taps in the bathrooms.I needed my sink back! It had been about a week and half since we finished our renovations and we hadn't installed the taps in the master & main bath upstairs Makayla and Mackenzie took the boys in the backyard to play while I got to work. I finally finished and started cleaning up around the house. Looking out the patio window I checked on the kids, Makayla had moved Waylon's playhouse and it fell apart and was in pieces. I opened the door and yelled at her to drag it back and put it back together. She couldn't get it together without my help so I told her to leave it and come inside. We had lunch and I kept working around the house trying to get some organization around the house since the carpet installer would be coming Monday morning. Later in the afternoon Jamie sent me a text to start getting ready he was taking me out for supper, he was driving home with his boss and would be home at 7pm. I made supper for the kids and started getting ready. I hadn't been on my phone all day so when I went on to check Facebook I had seen a bunch of posts about fires around Fort Mcmurray. I just thought "wow its an early start this year". We always have fires during the summer around Fort Mcmurray, after all we are surrounded by trees". I peeked out the window in my room and could see smoke. I walked downstairs and went out the front door and then out the back, I could see and smell a lot of smoke.
By this time it was about 6pm I sent Jamie the pictures I took of the smoke in the neighbourhood, he had already heard there were fires. I was almost ready and Jamie messaged me saying that the highway was closed north to south past the Parsons Creek overpass and they were forced to go up that overpass. Traffic was gridlocked, it was 7:30pm and he wasn't even close to home. I was kind of disappointed, I was looking forward to a date night.
I started getting the boys ready for bed and continued to check in on Jamie and see how traffic was.I got the kids settled in to bed and scrolled through Facebook posts. He walked through the door at 9:30pm. At this time Prairie Creek & Centennial Trailer park were under mandatory evacuation. Gregoire and Beacon Hill were only voluntary. Jamie & I still decided we would go for a bite to eat. We went to BP's and had a drink and some food.
As we were eating I remember there was two guys sitting at the table across from us, they were eating there meal and then all of sudden called the waitress over and left immediately. When we were finished the waitress came over to give us our bill and asked what area of town we were in. We told her and she informed us that the two guys sitting across from us lived in Gregoire which was now under a mandatory evacuation and they were sending everyone in the effected areas to Macdonald Island for the night. WOW this is really starting to get bad I thought to myself. Jamie and I paid the bill and left to go home. When we got home we headed to bed. I tried to sleep but this fire was weighing heavy on my mind. I hoped these people would be able to return to there homes soon.
Monday May 2nd
The day we were finally getting our carpet installed from our previous basement flood at Christmas (My dad had come up in the middle of March for a little over a month to help with some renovations.) I also had an orthodontist appointment that morning to get my braces on. Jamie was on shut down at work but had taken the day off to watch the boys and be at home for the carpet installer. I woke up early and got ready, the girls woke up late as usual. Mackenzie rushed around and made it out the door to walk with her friend to school, but Makayla had missed her bus so I gave her a ride on the way to my appointment. As I drove down Thickwood Boulevard and on to the highway heading downtown the smell of smoke was so strong and thick you could almost taste it. I couldn't see a car length in front of me. I got to my appointment at the Morrison Centre and rushed in, as I was a couple minutes late. The smoke had cleared up a bit. I took a seat in the office and started filling out my paperwork. I was nervous and excited at the same time. It was so hot in the office, they had to shut off the air conditioning so they could keep the smoke out. There was still a smell of smoke and even the orthodontist assistant was wearing a mask as she had asthma and the smoke was bothering her. After about two and a half hours I was done and ready to go home. The smoke had improved a bit and it was clear driving home. Listening to the radio I heard an update- the crews were working hard and they were winning the battle. At this time the fire was between 500 and 700 hectares.
The day we were finally getting our carpet installed from our previous basement flood at Christmas (My dad had come up in the middle of March for a little over a month to help with some renovations.) I also had an orthodontist appointment that morning to get my braces on. Jamie was on shut down at work but had taken the day off to watch the boys and be at home for the carpet installer. I woke up early and got ready, the girls woke up late as usual. Mackenzie rushed around and made it out the door to walk with her friend to school, but Makayla had missed her bus so I gave her a ride on the way to my appointment. As I drove down Thickwood Boulevard and on to the highway heading downtown the smell of smoke was so strong and thick you could almost taste it. I couldn't see a car length in front of me. I got to my appointment at the Morrison Centre and rushed in, as I was a couple minutes late. The smoke had cleared up a bit. I took a seat in the office and started filling out my paperwork. I was nervous and excited at the same time. It was so hot in the office, they had to shut off the air conditioning so they could keep the smoke out. There was still a smell of smoke and even the orthodontist assistant was wearing a mask as she had asthma and the smoke was bothering her. After about two and a half hours I was done and ready to go home. The smoke had improved a bit and it was clear driving home. Listening to the radio I heard an update- the crews were working hard and they were winning the battle. At this time the fire was between 500 and 700 hectares.
I arrived home, Jamie and Waylon were in the family room watching a movie and Weston was napping. The carpet was finished just after I got home. FINALLY after 5 months of the girls being without a room I would be able to put their beds back together, baseboards on and organization to our house. Mackenzie got home from school and we left for dance just like every other Monday. Tonight was her last Hip Hop class and then rehearsals for her big show were the following week. We got home and ate the yummy soup Jamie had made since my mouth was sore and I couldn't eat much of anything else. Jamie was back to work Tuesday and we needed groceries for his lunch so Makayla babysat while we went to Superstore. As we were driving through our neighborhood to Tim Horton's the sun was setting. The sky looked so calm but the sun was a gleaming red almost as if it was a warning for the days to come. We got our coffee and groceries and hurried home. Jamie had to be up early and wouldn't get anymore days off until the shut down was over. Driving across the bridge going home the sun had set, the colors in the sky were beautiful, the river calm and reflecting the beautiful evening sky. We got home put the groceries away and got in to bed. I checked Facebook for updates, the fire was now 1200 hectares and they were working hard to keep the community safe.
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| "It is up to you to see the beauty of everyday things" |
Tuesday May 3rd
That morning Jamie headed to work and the girls walked to school. It was just the boys and I. We got up had some breakfast and I scrolled through Facebook looking for any news on the fires - the fire had grown overnight to 2600+ hectares but away from town towards the west. "Good news" I thought, I don't have to worry. I got the boys dressed we went downstairs and started tidying up the playroom. I had so much laundry to do but the girls bookcases were in the laundry room so I couldn't get to the washer until I finished baseboards and moved the bookcases back in their rooms. I put Weston in his jumperoo and went to the bathroom by the family room to start cleaning, our sink still wasn't hooked up I noticed a puddle on the floor where pipes were for the sink, the plumber hadn't done the job properly and it had a slow leak. Of course I lost it and texted Jamie to call him. He got a hold of him and told Jamie he would be by after Jamie got off work to fix it. I put a towel on the floor under the pipe and shut the door. The baseboards for the girls rooms needed painting and installing so we could get their beds and furniture back in their rooms. Weston was getting tired so I brought him up to his bed for a nap, checked on Waylon and brought him a snack then went to the girls rooms to start. I painted all the baseboards I needed. I continued measuring then out to the garage to cut and back in to nail on. After a couple runs of back and forth from the basement to the garage I noticed it was getting really dark. When I went in the garage to cut another baseboard it was almost black I could hardly see. Thinking nothing of it. I turned on the light and finished my cut. When I came back in the house I looked at my phone I had a few missed calls from Jamie. Just as I was going to call him back my phone vibrated. It was 1:45pm it was him again. He said "Ash, Thickwood is being evacuated". I laughed, I didn't believe him. "Yes I just heard the fire jumped the river and it is in the trees behind Thickwood Golf Course" he said in a more serious voice. I had my phone to my ear as I ran upstairs to the living room to look outside. The sky was dark and I knew he wasn't joking. "I'm on my way home babe" and he hung up.
Staring out my front window looking into the dark smoke filled sky I looked down at my phone as I signed on to Facebook. My whole news feed was full of pictures of our city up in flames. I grabbed Waylon and brought him upstairs with me to start packing. I was in a panic. Weston woke up from his nap crying, I tried to calm him down between running from room to room grabbing things. I felt so bad to leave him crying but I didn't know how much time I had. In the midst of packing getting Weston dressed making bottles and trying to keep calm, I remembered my girls were still at school. Just then Makayla called and told me she was in her classroom with everyone and she needed to be picked up. Mackenzie called a short time after telling me I had to pick her up because the school was closing. I got the boys in the vehicle and sped to the school. There were police blocking the street across from her school, the way the fire was coming. I jumped out of the truck and ran in to the school, she was in the gym, we ran out and got in to the truck. Jamie called and said he would go get Makayla. I made a U turn to head towards home not even thinking there was an RCMP officer just metres away, normally my heart would have dropped thinking Oh shit I'm going to get a ticket but at this point I didn't care- and neither did he. I pulled in the driveway, Jamie and Makayla arrived soon after. I told the girls to grab a couple pairs of clothes and their toothbrush and get out to the vehicle with the boys who were already in their car seats watching a movie. They each grabbed a bag of clothes and a box of crackers. I had already packed clothes for all of us, I was just walking around thinking of what couldn't be replaced. The girls baby books were in the garage on a shelf buried- the garage was still not cleaned after my dad left. I didn't have time to even try and get the books. I felt sad and scared. We grabbed what we could, Jamie locked the doors and I took a picture of our house not knowing if we would ever see it again.
I don't know why but I was driving, I never drive when Jamie is in with me and I wanted to drive- maybe to feel some control in this uncontrollable situation. As we circled around to exit our crescent everything seemed to be in slow motion. Neighbors throwing bags in to their trucks, loading kids in their car seats, a look of terror on everyone face. Almost out of the crescent the RCMP pulled in with a speaker "MANDATORY EVACUATION" followed by loud sirens. We stopped to talk to the police officer, she told us to drive north to one of the camps, she didn't know where she just told us to start driving.
Almost a block away from home Jamie tells me to turn around, he forgot his site ID, we turn back and he runs in the house and we are off again. I looked down to see how much gas I had- 1/4 tank. Knowing the gas stations were closed by now I prayed to God we would make it to safety before we ran out. Speeding down the road we didn't make it too far and we were at a standstill in traffic. Just imagine a city of 88,000 trying to go to the same place on the same highway.
Jamie and I were glued to our phones as traffic moved at a snail pace. Reading Facebook posts- the Centennial trailer park gone, The Super 8, Flying J blew up, homes in Beacon hill, Abasand and Waterways gone. People running out of gas and having to run for their lives. Full communities were nothing but ashes, I kept wondering if our community was next. My heart was breaking and I was trying to stay calm for my kids. We were stuck on the highway along with everyone else and I couldn't grasp what was going on, it was surreal I felt like I was watching a movie. I kept looking back as we inched in traffic and the sky turned darker. I thought to myself "Are we were going to make it out alive?" If the fire is taking communities that fast, it wont stop for us.
We finally made it to Syncrude, what is normally a 30 minute drive took us almost 5 hours. We were almost on empty. Jamie got some gas from work to fill up our vehicle. By the time we checked in and got two camp rooms for the six of us it was about 9pm. We hung out for a bit and Jamie went to look for some food.The box of crackers Makayla managed to grab from home was almost gone and we hadn't eaten since lunch. He came back after a bit but couldn't find anything, the camp we were staying in had been shut down for a while so they weren't prepared.
Jamie and discussed leaving and trying to go south we weren't going to get any sleep anyway- we had two single beds for six of us, no blankets, pillows or food. I was a bit hesitant after watching videos of people driving through flames to escape, but decided once we heard the highway going south was open we would leave. At about 11pm we were told the highway was open again but that could change fast. We packed the kids and bags up again and made our move. Traffic was smooth sailing until we got closer to town. The smoke got thicker and we started to slow down a bit. We made it through town slowly. Driving across the bridge going south -(the same one we drove across the other night admiring the beauty of the trees and river) the RCMP directing traffic, the bypass road was closed. The hillside was engulfed in flames, branches falling, ashes raining down on the windsheild as we made our way through downtown the pictures we had seen on Facebook we were living. Images that will forever be imprinted in our minds. Making our way up the hill almost out of town I looked over to the right, Beacon Hill was really gone. The Super 8 was still burning, pieces of it falling to the ground. Passing abandon vehicles everywhere that had run out of gas. As we made it past the fire, the flame filled sky in rear view, I kept wondering if we would have a city to return to. How could a forest fire tear through the city and change so many lives in just hours?
I wanted to sleep so bad, we were living a nightmare. We had a long night ahead of us but we finally made it to Cold Lake by 8:30am. A 5 hour drive took us nearly 9 hours. Jamie and I left the kids with his parents, we went to get some rest and see what the rest of the day would hold.
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