A Fort McMurray resident breathed a sigh of relief when a Shaw service representative gave him a sign his home may be OK after his city was devastated by a raging wildfire.
James Lahey called the Shaw customer service line to see if someone might be able to communicate with the modem in his home, to test if the Internet connection was still working.
WATCH: Global’s Adrian Cheung spoke with the homeowner and the employee who gave him the hopeful sign
“Maybe that would at least give me some indication of whether or not the modem was intact and, in turn, my house still standing,” Lahey told Global News in a phone interview from Spruce Grove, where he’s now staying with an aunt and uncle.
He was one of the nearly 90,000 people who evacuated Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Tuesday, when a wildfire grew further out-of-control and engulfed neighbourhoods in and around the city. By Friday, provincial officials said the fire affected more than 101,000 hectares of land.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray principal flees wildfire with busload of students, then reunites families
Lahey said he saw pictures of some of the devastation in his Fort McMurray neighbourhood, Stone Creek. There was a lot of damage in the area surrounding his home, but he’s heard a lot of contradictory stories that did not offer any concrete proof about what he could expect for his home.
So he called the Shaw service line and Mel Hendershot picked up — some 1,300 kilometres away in Winnipeg.
Hendershot recounted her exchange with Lahey in a Facebook post Thursday night, saying she wouldn’t soon forget “the unbearable heartbreak, yet extreme happiness” for a man she never met.
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“I was doing my job as a TSR (technical service representative) with Shaw, you called me to see if there was any possibility I could ping your internet modem for any sign of life,” Hendershot wrote in a post on a Facebook group called “Fort McMurray evac relocation help group”.
“You explained to me you have no idea what is happening at your home or what’s going on, your neighbourhood was plagued by fire and most of the homes in the area were levelled. You called me for any kind of hope that your home just may be still standing…”
By pinging the modem, she was able to determine whether or not the device was still connected and communicating with the network. Not getting a response from the modem isn’t a sign a home has been destroyed, but a pingback is definitely a good sign, as both power and internet would still have to be connected in order for the device to respond.
Hendershot gave it a try and got a response from the device in Lahey’s home.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray resident in convoy through community calls scene ‘very Apocalyptic’
Lahey said it brought him the “little bit of hope” that he needed — that the modem wasn’t melted in a pile of ash and rubble. Still, he’s being cautiously optimistic about the fate of his home.
“I know that there’s still a very high possibility that there could be more fire in that area,” he said. “But, as of right now I do have at least something waiting for me.”
Lahey found out about Hendershot’s Facebook note, which had been shared more than 3,000 times by Friday evening, after a friend made him aware of the post. He’s grateful he got the opportunity to connect with Hendershot again and thank her one more time.
In an email to Global News Friday night, Hendershot said she was just “happy to help” however she could.
“I’m so proud of everyone that has come together the way that they have,” she said.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray locksmith comes to cats’ rescue during evacuation
With so many stories of tragedy and grief, people who saw Hendershot’s post were thankful to hear some apparent good news.
“James is going to have a much needed good night’s sleep tonight because of you. Good on you!” wrote Kim Cote.
“I am proud to say reading this made me cry! After everything myself, my family and friends have been through…….. It’s things like this that make me proud to be from here and call this place my home!” wrote Jeff Morrison.
“There are no words to express the emotions. Never underestimate the power of your contributions in our world people,” Tracy Walker added.
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