‘I’m honoured…I feel blessed’: Fort McMurray fire chief sees portrait in person

Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen finally got to see his portrait in person at a print shop in northeast Calgary Tuesday morning.

The painting was created to help to raise money to rebuild the burned city.

Allen, a man many are calling a hero, appeared both delighted and moved by the artwork, and the intentions behind it.

He embraced the artist, Russell Thomas, who is a Fort McMurray evacuee, before heading off on a tour of the print shop.

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Thomas and Allen have known each other for years.

Run Digital is offering prints of the painting in exchange for contributions to the United Way campaign for Fort McMurray.

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WATCH ABOVE: An artist forced to flee the flames In Fort McMurray is now using his talent to help the city recover. As Gil Tucker shows us, he’s raising money with his portrait of a man many are calling a hero.

Ever humble, Allen made it clear that for him, the painting represents the heroic work of everyone dealing with the fire.

“I’m honoured. I am excited, I feel blessed, but I really don’t want to just think about it being me,” Allen said. “It won’t sit in my living room, my wife wouldn’t let me have this in the living room. But it will sit in the fire hall and then maybe people that still remain in the fire department there can remember what we did. I think that would be wonderful.”

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Allen, a former Calgarian, emerged early on as the face of the firefighting efforts in Fort McMurray.

He is currently in Calgary on some much-deserved time off with family.

You can still make a donation to the United Way and receive one of the prints.