The picture above was taken by Thunder Bay’s Katie Lester. The fiery red and orange clouds created an eerie sky that was the topic of many posts last night. I didn’t personally witness this amber sky as I was headed home after being out of town for just over a week, but I had been keeping in contact with family and friends about the fires affecting so many. It’s heartbreaking to hear about people losing their homes. There were reports that residents of Collins First Nation had so little time to grab the most important belongings and then hurry off to the boats that would get them away from the flames. Boats were the only way out. Across the region, nearly 200 fires are ravaging our forests and communities; many on high alert, waiting to hear if they are next.
In our travels in Northwestern Ontario over the years, we’ve seen a moose, maybe once. Last night, we saw two young moose in the darkness along the highway. The first was near the trees so I honked to keep it away from the road. About ten minutes later, on the opposite side of the road, I saw a dark figure and knew it wasn’t a shadow. It was far enough away that I wasn’t too worried, but hope people are on the lookout for them. It made me wonder how they are all reacting to this. They aren’t just dealing with the extreme summer heat; they’ve got mosquitoes and other bugs eating at them, and now they are just trying to escape. But with the fire and smoke cutting off their territory, finding a safe place to go is nearly impossible.
Surprisingly, we couldn’t smell the smoke last night, even though we were so close to it. After seeing photos on social media of the bright orange skies back home, I was expecting a much more dramatic scene as we entered the Thunder Bay area. While we didn’t see much in the dark of night, the smell of smoke filled our home this morning.
With evacuations came offers of help. In Dryden, a man offered up his large yard, inviting as many evacuated campers and trailers as could fit to park on his property.
That effort quickly spread closer to home. In Thunder Bay, a post about the Tim Hortons on Hawker Road, showed tables were filled with donated clothes, toys, and daily necessities to help displaced families who had to leave everything behind. On social media, someone on the “Free Stuff In Thunder Bay” page started a dedicated post asking evacuees exactly what they needed. Instead of sorting through random donations, people who had those specific items could reply directly to the comments, matching the need immediately.
Watching the videos and reading the posts of what’s happening so close to our city is a massive eye opener. I saw a video of a train near Armstrong surrounded by fire. You know when you light a wood stove, and the glass shows the flames dancing around with that deep red and orange glow? That is exactly what it looked like through the train windows. The crew kept their cool though, recording the scene while they worked to get the train out of danger. In an odd, almost eerie contrast to the world on fire immediately outside the glass, the computer screens inside the cab seemed to work perfectly, despite what must have been extreme heat.
A friend of mine who works a local drive-thru posted a photo of herself wearing a mask so she could work her shift at the window.
The City of Thunder Bay put out an official post on emergency preparedness, reminding everyone to have their 72-hour kits ready, gather their important documents, and know their evacuation routes.
Reading through the city’s checklist, I turned to my husband and asked the question so many of us are likely asking right now, what would we prioritize to pack up if we had to leave in a hurry?
