The Lac La Biche evacuation centre was a beehive of activity immediately after a wildfire ravaged the Fort McMurray area. But nearly two weeks after the blaze erupted, the facility is calm and quiet.
As of Friday night there was no one staying in the cots at the Bold Center, said Jihad Moghrabi, the communications coordinator for Lac La Biche County.
At its peak, he said 380 people were sleeping at the evacuation centre.
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“It was our priority to try and find people who had been staying on cots for multiple days hotels and other accommodations,” he said.
Moghrabi said many evacuees are still coming in for hot meals, shower facilities and to pick up much-needed donations such as diapers and clothes.
But on Sunday the facility will ramp down its hours. Whereas it used to run 24/7, it will soon operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Some evacuees like Jim Lougheed are slowly moving on.
Lougheed said the home he had lived in for 36 years was flattened during the blaze. He is now staying with family close to Lac La Biche.
“I think everybody is a little down right now but they’ll get back,” he said.
Lougheed said he stopped at the evacuation centre to check on his insurance claim. He is anxious to return to Fort McMurray.
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“See what’s actually left there and wonder what it’s going to take to get things going again,” he said.
It is a different story for Rob Lacroix, who works for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and was able to stop by his house briefly.
“It hits your heart,” he said of the destruction. However, there is good news: his house is intact.
“They shut the gas off. My fridge was still good. My freezer was still good and it was like the day my wife left.”
Lacroix said it is a relief knowing that his family has something to go back to. In the meanwhile, he is temporarily staying in an apartment.
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“Every day is starting to get a little better with bedding and furniture and so on and so forth,” he said.
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