A box store parking lot in Hinton was transformed into a campground for hundreds of Edson residents taking refuge from a massive wildfire threatening their town this weekend.
“It was virtually ‘leave now,’” said Karen Chouinard, who evacuated with her family on Friday night.
With just a moment’s notice, many evacuees de-winterized their trailers in record speed and packed in as much as they could. For Chouinard, that included her 14 dogs and three cats.
“I never imagined this, never, nothing like this has ever happened to me before,” said the owner of West Central Waterdogs in Edson.
“The dogs are used to travelling but now, they are wondering where the pool is,” she said.
READ MORE: Alberta wildfire triggers evacuation order for Edson, other parts of Yellowhead County
About 8,000 residents are either camping or staying in hotels or evacuation centers in both Hinton and Jasper.
“The town of Hinton has been amazing. They brought us a meal and the stores have given discounts.” said Chouinard.
A fire burning south east of Edson poses a “significant threat,” according to Alberta Wildfire.
Alberta Wildfire
Parks Canada is also lending a neighbourly hand.
“We have a good neighbor pass. Anyone can come into the park for free,” said Jaime McCormick with Parks Canada in Jasper.
“We are offering free camping. At Whistler campground, we have loops set aside go with camps.
“If you have livestock, we will support you in Snaring overflow campground,” said McCormick.
Some people were more prepared than others. Coleman Gibson said the events this week prove families should always be ready.
“We had our vehicle topped, bags packed,” said Gibson.
“(It’s) common sense — when the evacuation was called, bam, we were ready to go.”
“We’ve been ready for years they called us crazy prepper types but look who’s laughing now,” he said, with a chuckle.
Vehicles seen leaving Edson, Alta., after a wildfire prompted an evacuation order for the town on May 5, 2023.
COURTESY: Kevin Zahara
Much of Jasper was in the dark for periods of time Saturday night following warnings of power outages. Alberta Wildfire said the blaze was inching closer to important infrastructure, power was back in Jasper Saturday morning.
“We are all campers and we are used to camping in the bush. We got generators and power, we are doing pretty good,” said Don Guest, an evacuee from Edson.
“We are all neighbors in Edson and we all evacuated together and now are neighbors here,” he said.
All roads into Edson are blocked off with only one road out. It’s An unnerving feeling for thousands of people hunkering down in uncertainty anxious to know the status of their homes and livelihoods.
Zachary Beaudoin evacuated to Jasper Friday night as fires got close.
“When we were told to evacuate, there was massive gridlock on the highways as per usual,” said Beaudoin.
“Gas stations were flooded, grocery stores were flooded. Everybody’s just been kind of pandemonium til we got to Hinton.”
–With files from Saif Kaisar, Global News
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
