Jim Warman Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 For those interested, I will attempt to write an account of the events following Friday the 13th. This will be based on the information (or misinformation) available to us at the time the events took place. If you think that something like this will never happen to you.... did you think I was waiting for it? Expecting it? Friday the 13th went almost too smooth. We got out of work on time (for a change) and nothing remarkable happened for the rest of the day. My wife had spent most of the week in Edmonton for doctors appointments and was due back Saturday afternoon. When she did arrive home, she mentioned a smoke to the west. It was a pretty good smoke and, by my reckoning, a lot closer to town than she figured. Not close enough to worry about and Lord knows we've seen our fair share of smoke in Slave.... I turned to the east and asked why she hadn't said anything about the smoke in that direction. Closer... but we've seen worse. Wind was brisk and the smokes intensified... the bombers were going steady. As dark fell.... and that happens very late in Slave at this time of year.... the winds died and the temperature dropped... This is a wildfire fighters dream. The fire damps down and is relatively easy to work over. Sunday morning we awoke to a small amount of white smoke to the west and nearly nothing to the east. But as the day progressed, the wind picked up, the fire renewed it's energy and the situation became one of concern. I took my truck and gassed it up - something I wasn't planning to do for several days (gas being $1.28.9 per litre).... "just in case". Later that afternoon, I met a friend at the shop - his 6.7 was overdue for a service so I decided to move him to the front of the line. While we were there, my wife dropped by to tell me she was going to the hospital... with one of her killer migraines, she was off to get a shot. The wind was growing stronger this whole time.... the smoke was thicker, bigger and as brown as brown could be (for the neophyte - this is NOT a good sign). We finished up the service and promised to meet later for a beer at his house. I wanted to go home and hook up my holiday trailer.... "just in case". By the time I got home and hooked up.... the wind was gusting over 100 kph and had shifted nearly 90 degrees. Already, parts of the town were on fire and we could hear what was probably barbecue cylinders exploding... singly and in staccato... I was concerned about the where-abouts of Debb..... My son showed up while I was hooking up my trailer and I told him he should be at home hooking up his.... I began loading the trailer with food, photo albums, pets and pet supplies.... Debb got home and I set her to fetching clothes and such... we got a few changes of clothes and her heirloom jewelery... two cats... three dogs.... our pills and, by some miracle we entered the bumper to bumper line up (leaving the car and the scooter behind) within eye shot of our son and his in-laws. Our rag tag line of vehicles... stretching out of sight before and behind... left town at a crawl.... 20 some clicks out of town, I had to pee... NO EXCEPTIONS. Less than a dozen vehicles passed me while I relieved myself alongside the road. I never did get any evacuation notice.... I filled my trucks gas tank because I thought it was prudent... I hooked up my trailer because I thought it was prudent. Long before we left, power went out.... the radio transmitter burned down and cell phone towers were knocked out. I left becase I thought it was prudent.... Yet the media is full of tales... "I drove around looking for gas"... " I was waiting for them to tell me to leave". I feel bad for everyone forced from their homes.... mine is still standing... one of my diesel techs lost two houses.... several apartments burned to the ground - many residents without even renters insurance.. I can't reconcile what has and hasn't happened.... But I'll be fart fucked in a windstorm if I'm going to let anyone bad mouth our emergency crews... Part 2 coming soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Clyde Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Glad you and you're family made it away safely; and everyone else too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 Thanks, Jeff.... if you're up for more of the saga, let me know.... if it's a waste of bandwidth I hope someone tells me to shut up... I have friends that lost everything they own.... one friend was in Calgary finalizing his Mums estate..... All he has is his cat and the clothes he took. His scooter - gone. His Dads '39 Dodge... all original... gone... Kyle B., one of our diesel techs... looks like he lost TWO houses.... I cannot describe the feelings I have at this time. I don't know when I can go back home.... but I am so much luckier than so many other people. But I don't feel lucky.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordracer Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 if you're up for more of the saga, let me know.... if it's a waste of bandwidth I hope someone tells me to shut up... I think most of us are concerned and interested about hearing what happened to you. I can't imagine what it would be like if it happened to me. I'm glad your house is okay but it sounds like your dealership didn't do so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/Gallery+Slave+Lake+damage/4818369/story.html will get you to some satellite images..... You'll find a gallery of 7 images. You are interested in the 6th image - should be middle one, bottom row but that might depend on your browser and screen res. Under the copyright notice at the bottom of the screen you will find SL Ford... North is to the top of the pic. To the east (right) are customer units, units waiting PDI, used units waiting inspection and anything waiting for wash bay/detailing. To the west (left) is a row of new cars against the building and a row of new Super Duties against the street. To the northeast (from the corner of the building) is a row of used units... above that is a row of what used to be new and used pick ups and RVs... north of that is a damaged quonset building and above that - just before the train tracks - used to be a three story apartment building. The store looks like it's in good shape... the inventory? Not so much..... If (and when) they let us back into town, we will be ready to go. I'm so much "luckier" than so many people.... I can't describe my feelings but there are times you wish your losses were as bad as other peoples just to stop some of the feelings of guilt or what-ever it is... Life isn't fair... but how do you reconcile that a close friend lost his Mum last month and everything he owns this month? That so many other friends lost everything.... They should be sharing in my joy.... but, there is no joy because I am trying to understand the devastation they are feeling. Is there a God? And if there is, what must run through his thoughts? The saga will continue later... after I pick my wife up from the hospital - this situation takes it's toll... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 FWIW The first fatality of this incident was reported this PM... A helicopter pilot perished when his aircraft crashed into about 2 meters of water near Widewater, Alberta. My condolences to the family of the pilot..... where-ever they may be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/story.html?id=4804891 At about 3:17 you can see the back of our store.. at about 3:29, they turn up mainstreet and show a small strip mall, the burned out Yamaha store and then us... On edit... big whoopsie... this is in the first vid... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Amacker Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 if it's a waste of bandwidth I hope someone tells me to shut up... Jim: Most certainly it's not a waste of bandwidth as we're all concerned about your well being and your city's condition. We all wish you well and hope the best for everyone. I don't know how insurance figures into this, but it's a reminder how important good insurance IS. Good Luck, man. We're pulling for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Bruene Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Jim, it is an absolutely beautiful town, and I can see why you would want to live there. I'm glad to hear your stuff (for the most part) is okay. I wish I could say the same about everybody and everything else in your town. Call me an intellect as far as wild-fire is concerned, but I can't help but wonder how the fire was able to penetrate so deep into town. I live in a small subdivision carved in to the York Regional Forest on the side of an Ontario Mountain (a.k.a. a hill), which is surrounded by conifers-quite a few of them dead-standing. The wind never stops here. I'd be lying if I told you I don't worry about what would happen if there were a fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I'm so much "luckier" than so many people.... I can't describe my feelings but there are times you wish your losses were as bad as other peoples just to stop some of the feelings of guilt or what-ever it is... Life isn't fair... I feel for all of those people as well Jim. I feel like one lucky S.O.B. to have moved out of Slave. But I feel guilty as well. It's weird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 Alex, I don't believe there was anyway that anyone could have changed the outcome of the fire... the heat, the wind, no spring rains... The fire was "running ahead of itself" it's about the only term I can come up with. It went from "this doesnt look good" to "Get in the friggin' truck" in the few minutes it took to drive home and hook up the holiday trailer. I never did get an order to evacuate and I am amazed that anyone would wait around for it. When the power goes down and the cell phones go down and the radio station goes down - this should be a pretty solid sign that now would be a good time to get the fuck out of Dodge... An evacuation order is a decision of epic proportions. The cost, the nearly universal effect - this is staggering. Could or should they have called an evacuation that morning? I can only answer that by saying that hindsight is always 20/20. I firmly believe that our emergency services did all they could. When the wind shifted and freshened (to 60 miles per hour), it was only a matter of minutes before all of our communications went out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 When we last saw our hero, he and a rag tag covoy of other refugees was slowly crossing the Alberta countryside.... Just before we left town, the last radio report that most of us had heard was that the highway to the west (north passage) was the only road open. I know that some people from town made it to High Prairie, Grande Prairie and whitecourt. By the time we got to the only remaining road out of town, that road was closed and the road east (south passage) was re-opened. As our convoy moved slowly down the highway, we would often be passed by ambulances and handi-buses filled with patients being evacuated from our local hospital. About 60 kilometers out of town, there was another roadblock. The highway to the south through the towns of Chisholm Mills and Flatbush was closed because of other fires. We were directed onto the highway to Athabasca. We decided to overnight at a campground about 45 kilometers on the Slave Lake side of Athabasca. Under more pleasant circumstances, this would have been a marvelous place to vacation. Peaceful and quiet with a secluded little lake abutting the campground..... But no cell phone, poor radio reception and, to Sirius' shame, no satellite radio news coverage that I could find made this a poor choice for us. We were about second or third into the grounds but it was soon to capacity. Among those things I was going to do in preparation for this camping season - change the battery on the holiday trailer. I woke up several times in the night to start the truck and charge the battery to keep the fridge going.... but it's not like we were sleeping well, anyway. After we turned onto this highway (Highway 2), the pace of traffic slowly picked up. As we sat in our campsite, there was a never-ending stream of cars, trucks and RVs passing by on the highway. This kept on until about 3 or 4 in the AYEM. The next morning, my sons in-laws decided that they would drive to Whitecourt to visit relatives. We bid them goodbye with a promise to rejoin later - there always seems to be strength in numbers. My son and I left the ladies in the campsight and drove into Athabasca for supplies. The aid centre that volunteers had set up was already at overflow. We purchased a few groceries and made our way back to the campsite to discuss our options. A workmate of TJs had an acerage near Clyde, Alberta and we decided to press on. When we got to the acerage, my loving bride, Debbi, became worried about it's distance from medical facilities she has Crohns disease and some other problems as old age encroaches - and the stress of our situation wasn't helping) and the poor cell signal. We left our son and his family with some trepidation and pressed on to Westlock, Alberta. We were most fortunate to find a space in a small campground right in the Town of Westlock. Almost immediately we had volnteers bringing us bottled water, insect spray, pet supplies and instructions on how to get to the evacuation registration desk and other aid stations. After we registered, we managed to contact TJ and had him come into town to register. His wife was impressed with our campsight and, seeing there were several empty, she talked TJ into bringing his camper to town. No sooner had he returned from fetching his trailer, we heard that the area he was staying in was being evacuated because of a wildfire..... Stay tuned for our next episode..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 It has been a week since our adventure began.... Our sons in-laws home at Widewater was badly damaged but their spirits remain high. They took this opportunity to beome a member of the holiday trailer set and the three families are grouped together in a campground with full services.... though the shower down the road is a bit ummmmmmmm rustic. The offers of assistance from people all over and especially from the volunteeers and citizens of Westlock is overwhelming... I can't talk about it without my eyes starting to burn and getting choked up. The first man I met showed me where the campground we are in is located... he gave me his business card and told me that if the place was full to give him a call... he could set us up on his family farm... We parked our trailer and went to the evacuation centre to register... we were given a hot meal and any toiletries we needed... given directions to two other aid stations where we got extra socks and underwear, towels, there was a vast selection canned and dry goods, a selection of novels to read, dvds to watch, kids toys, diapers, clothes for ecery member of the family... we were in awe. Gloves - anything you could think of. In retrospect, while we got most of our photo albums and Debbis good jewelry - some of our other choices of things to load are a little questionable. We can mostly blame that on me... Debb was taking her sweet time sorting things and all I could hear was exploding propane cylinders across town. We managed to bring all of our pets... two old cats and three dogs. The cats didn't take kindly to being uprooted and we, sadly, had to have them put down. The decision wasn't an easy one to make but, with no end to our current situation as a concrete date..... The dogs are adapting well. Mini-dog (the spaniel "Willy" aka "Bill") s the oldest and often stays at home while I walk the "bookends". Mega-dog (Koda, a German Shepherd that weighs about 120 pounds) and Micro-dog (the Chihauhau "Jake" aka "Snert") often get taken for walks together... This odd couple generates both stares and remarks... We do our best to keep our spirits high.... I've been telling people that we decided to pick our long weekend campsite early. We are so very lucky in this whole affair.... when we go home, my son and I will tape our fridges and freezers shut and move them out of our houses. Insurance will cover this and any damage we might find in the aftermath... without looking for damaged shingles, looking at the car or bike.. the shed... we have no idea. But these will be minor inconveniences.... Mere hiccups in our lives. So many friends lost everything... and every time I start to feel happy for me.... I remember these people and the guilt and remorse fills you in a heartbeat. When our friends finally get to see what remains of their house, they should have closure... When I see their house, all I will have is more guilt.... Talking to Slave Lakers around town... so many renters had no insurance at all. While their choice to go without insurance is idiotic, many couldn't afford it or they couldn't appreciate the importance of having it.... These people deserve our assistance all the same. I cannot believe how lucky my wife and I are... we are alive and doing as well as can be expected. Our extended family is safe. Our shop is basically undamaged and our boss had business interruption insurance... I should be on cloud nine.... for me, this whole fucking deal is more inconvenience than anything else.... The stress has been life altering for my wife... two of my very best friends - this is a "this guy is family" kind of best friend - lost everything... This is going to be one interesting year.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Here is a link that shows the Chaos and and devastation that everyone went through: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK7_yb938AQ&feature=player_embedded . It chokes me up when I watch it. This video would probably be a little much for some of those who lost everything to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 Dwayne, I found out last night that I was mistaken - can anyone feel thankful about being wrong? Sounds like Kyles Poplar Lane house was spared... His rental property in town wasn't so lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 That's darned good news. Not about his rental property, but his home. I'll try callin him again. Haven't been able get in touch with him. According to the damge maps, Remona and Augey lost their home. For the rest of you who don't know, Remona is the parts gal at S.L. Ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 So as I am guessing, the town has no power in certain areas and the water and sewer utilities have been compromised as well meaning many residents will not be allowed to return to their homes, if they have one to go back to? Also Jim, Do you have any word on when you might be able to return to work? That lot looks like a grave yard. You said the shop was spared but how about the parts, sales and office ares? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Kieth, I have no idea of how electricity restoration efforts have progressed... even in our closed meetings, all the info our town reps are given is that 'work continues'. I do know that our main sewer lift station needs to be replaced.... it was located at the northwest corner of S L FORD. Residential fire fighting efforts would have put a major strain on the water system. I've lost track of the water pumping capacity or our local and mutuual assistance fire departments but I'm sure that (before the water treatment plant went down) the fire pumps had drawn at least parts of the system into severe negative pressure - quite possibly severe enough to collapse water mains. This is just conjecture on my part. Natural gas is the home heating fuel of choice in Alberta. This infrastructure needs to be carefully inspected. Additionally, the feeder lines to each affected building will have to be capped. If ATCO Gas is going to declare the town as "safe", I'm going to assume that they may want to check even homes unaffected for any pre-existing gas leaks to avoid exposing themseelves to litigation..... they have more experience in that field and would know their level of comfort. Getting back to electricity for a minute. The mass exodus got into full swing along about dinner time on Sunday.... how many homes were left with stoves turned on is a number nobody can guess at. As for the building.... everything is pretty much undamaged except for the one row of trucks and trailers. We'll be ready for business as soon as they allow us back in.... at least I know I will be. Parts, sales and service are all pretty much under one roof so it isn't going to be much more tham a fairly large hiccup for us. It kinda helps that those of us that have lived in northern Alberta for any length of time become quite resilient (what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger). Emotions are running very high, as they will in any situation like this. The powers that be are being intentionally vague about when we can go back. I can see their point - if they spec a date and then realize they can't fulfill the promise, it is going to get real fugly, real quick. Flip side of the coin, not knowing is just adding unnecessary agitation (read that as "I'm glad it isn't me making these decisions). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Here is a satellite pic of a small, moderately affected area of the town.... a portion of our downtown core. For reference, north is pretty close to being the top. The damage to the southeast sector of twn s just indescribable. At the bottom centre, the copyright notice goes right through SL FORD. To the right (east) of the building is the back 40. Customer units, sold units, units waiting for PDI.. even Dwaynes toy pick up are back there. The red arrow points to a row of what used to be a few new Super Duties, several new 150s and several holiday trailers - not sure how many but everything was pretty much door handle to door handle (just enough room to open a door without hitting the unit next). The tail of my arrow rests on what used to be our brand new town offices and library. The only thing that saved the rest of that mall from destruction was that they drove a cat through the middle of the mall to make a fire break.... To the north of SL is a red X (sorry for the crudeness of my characters). This used to be a 3 story walk up apartment - one of many that were lost in this event. To the east of that is a row of condos.... From all outward appearances, they probably suffered little more than melted vinyl siding this is just my impression). Most renters in Alberta never seem to get around to buying renters insurance... To the right of that X, you can see an area where some trees are burned and some aren't. With winds that high, the fire seems to be very selective. North of the town offices is a red A. Every town in Alberta seems to have at least one hotel that is a hotel more in name than in function. This allows the operator to open a "beverage hall". This particular hotel, in whatever town it may be in becomes locally known as "the zoo"... and this red A used to be our zoo. Of interesting note.... this is the "new" zoo. The "old" zoo was a half block to the east and, in the 1980s, it, too, burned to the ground although the circumstances then were extremely suspicious). To the north and northwest of that are several burned out buildings including my best friends apartments.... thankfully, the gun I was shot with expired in that blaze. At the very top of the pic is one of our elementary schools.... all our schools were spared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 Might be going home as soon as tommorrow... more when I know more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Slave+Lake+dealership+survives/4847725/story.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony302600 Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Why is none of this on our news. This is the first i heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Tony, you folks have had your hands full with the devastation at Joplin, Mo. Except for a few of us mouthy pricks getting in Yankee faces, we expect a rousing chorus of "Slave Who?". We're only a small town and many Canadians have never heard of us... well, until recently... My point is that you and all of your friends and acquaintances should donate money to the American Red Cross and specify that the funds are to help the people of Joplin. Material goods are usually welcome at the beginning of any disaster recovery, but cash allows the disaster organizations to target whatever resources may be required. For us, the people of Westlock,Alberta (where we spent most of the nearly two weeks we were displaced) were amazing. It may sound selfish, but I honestly pray that I never have to repay the kindness and compassion that these strangers showed to all of us. I will be there in a heartbeat if needed.... but they are such wonderful people that I never want to see them in the position we were thrust into. The aid, both government and private, continues to pour in for those that need it. The number of dwellings that need to be rebuilt is staggering. The people that used to live in them need to live somewhere and the last thing we want is for them to abandon Slave Lake as their home.... Me? Except for some emotional baggage I now carry because I was spare a great loss and others weren't, life has returned to as close to normal as it can... except driving across town, I keep reminding myself that this is home and not Mogadishu or Beirut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Heard about this on the news today and now read this: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/arson-behind-fire-ravaged-slave-lake-government-171226409.html Unreal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmorris Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 You wouldn't believe how many of the forest fires in Alberta are started by careless idiots. Most don't hit the news because they don't end up like the Slave Lake fire. Very sad indeed. Lets hope the idiot that started this one has a heart and confesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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