Former Carlyle resident Velda (McConnell) Peach and her family were among the thousands who were forced to flee their homes in Fort McMurray, Alberta after a massive wildfire engulfed much of the city. Velda, her husband Brent, their son, Tyler and twin daughters Sam and Jami learned how quickly life can change and how kindness and generosity can be found in the most dire circumstances. And even though the Peaches got their happy ending-their house in the Timberlea area was spared-Velda says they will never forget the generosity of family, friends, and complete strangers.
“Our house was good,” says Velda, who returned to Fort Mac on June 2. “Everything was great. We cleaned for six hours when we returned home, but really, the only thing was some food that had rotted in our fridge and even our fridge is okay. My husband Brent really did his job-he closed the windows and shut the furnace off before he left. We lucked out big time.”
The family's story began Sunday, May 1-two days before the massive fire forced the entire population of Fort Mac to evacuate.
“On Sunday afternoon, a girlfriend phoned me,” says Velda. “She needed a boost, so my husband and I drove across to Mac Island to meet her. We saw a fire and I told Brent that it looked like it was heading to where my horse and my friends' horses are. We drove over to where they are stabled and we saw the fire coming closer, so we-and a lot of other people- got trucks and trailers and got the horses out. I took three horses to a friend's house in Grasslands, two hours south. We thought the horses might be there overnight, or at the most, a few days... We never imagined things would turn out like they did.”
Two days later, Velda was at work at the city's Keyano College, where she is a graphic designer.
“It was a nice day,” she says. “There wasn't even any smoke in the air. At noon, a few of us went to a nearby restaurant to have lunch on the deck. Before that one hour was up, we could see clouds of smoke. One of the girls went home to get her kids, she was so worried. And by 2 p.m., we were told to evacuate. I couldn't get home from work; it was so gridlocked.”
“Luckily, my husband was with our kids, so I headed out to the weigh scales out of town. Brent and I made a plan to meet there and he'd bring the kids; but we lost cell contact after that. To make a long story short, they couldn't even get out of our driveway, traffic was so heavy. And he had a half-tank of gas. He works for Nexen and they gave him some gas. Eventually, we met up at 11:30 that night.”
“I was freaking out, because I couldn't get hold of them, but I was so thankful Brent was home with the kids that day. I knew he would get them out of there, but everything happened so fast.”
“When Brent and the kids finally drove out, it was late and it was dark. But the wind had died down by then, so they only saw embers in the forests. Some of my other friends had flames actually going right across their vehicles and they were forced to drive really slowly, making it even more scary. But all four lanes of Highway 63 out of Fort Mac were very quickly turned into four lanes heading south, so that helped a lot.”
“People felt panicky-I know I did-but they didn't behave that way,” says Velda. “The evacuation went really well and nobody cut each other off or anything. For something that happened so fast, you really saw people pulling together.”
Evacuees also received aid and comfort from their fellow Albertans, says Velda. “On the highway, there was water, gas and food-all free of charge. And all from just regular people from Alberta. We were stopped and offered gas. In Grasslands, we were swarmed by some young people, offering us toothbrushes, diapers and all kinds of stuff. When we finally got to Drayton Valley, where my brother Terry and his wife, Linda live, I went to Mark's Work World to pick up some underwear and stuff. They gave us 20 percent off and the staff insisted on adding their staff discount to it. When I was buying pet food, a lady literally took the stuff out of my arms and insisted on paying for it, saying it was her 'due diligence.'”
“People have been really, really kind, for sure. We are so lucky and we have so many people to thank, including my brother Terry (McConnell) and his wife, Linda for taking us in. They gave us a home away from home at their house in Drayton Valley. They fed us, they gave us a place to stay, and they made it feel like home.”
“And there are just so many people who were so kind to us,” adds Velda. “We not only benefitted from the generosity of strangers, but so many friends from Saskatchewan, Alberta, and B.C. all got in touch.”
“And I have to say, all of my old Saskatchewan people were the first ones to ask me what I needed. I thought, 'Bang on! Good old Sask.-kickin' it up a notch.'”
The Peaches were able to confirm via video link that their house was still standing. However until their scheduled re-entry into the city, they were unsure if their home would be habitable.
“We were told to look for smoke damage in the roof insulation or if the bombers came over your house and dropped chemical, that kind of thing,” she says. “Our house was good. Everything was great. We cleaned for six hours, but really, the only thing was some food that had rotted in our fridge and even our fridge is okay. My husband Brent really did his job. He closed the windows and shut the furnace off before he left. We lucked out big time.”
“We went for a drive yesterday (June 6) and an entire area-Stone Creek-is gone. It looks like something you'd see on the news from a third-world country. We are so lucky...”
“When we came back home, I went to see my barns and they were totally demolished-all gone,” says Peach. “But it is what it is. If I had to choose, I'd rather have my house standing and that's what happened. We're so lucky and so grateful.”
“When we came back home, it was super-overwhelming when we saw the firefighters on top of the bridge, but this isn't going to last forever,” adds Velda. “ The news moves on, but the devastation still stays. I'm worried about people who have lost their houses and how they will be helped.”
“It's been a crazy experience. I'd really like to thank everybody and hopefully, I can help somebody else out,” says Velda.
“I really want to pay it forward and help any way I can.”
