Saskatchewan residents recall helping in the aftermath of Fort McMurray fire

The Fort McMurray wildfire turned the city into a “ghost town” in a matter of days, recalled one Saskatchewan woman who helped the community rebuild.

Kim MacLean was among the nearly 30 Canadian Red Cross representatives from Saskatchewan deployed to assist with the Fort McMurray relief effort.

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“You had to wear a mask because air conditions were so bad,” MacLean, the provincial director for disaster management with the Red Cross in Saskatchewan, said.

Well over 200 people from Fort McMurray sought help from Red Cross offices in Saskatchewan, she said.

“I couldn’t imagine the trauma that people felt as they had to leave,” MacLean said.

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Saskatchewan firefighters were responsible for managing the eastern portion of the blaze that burned across the border.

The Ministry of Environment had 157 personnel based out of a full camp in La Loche. Between May 12 and June 17, 2016, 32 Saskatchewan wildfire personnel were exported to Alberta to assist with the fire fight.

Support also came in the form of fundraisers, including Rawlco Radio’s Saskatchewan Day of Caring radiothon, which brought in well over $700,000 for the Red Cross.

“We have divisions every single day on every single issue in talk radio,” 650 CKOM host David Kirton said.

“This is a day when none of that happened. Nobody was opposing anybody else. Everybody was working together.”

READ MORE: Saskatoon refugees raise money for Red Cross to help Fort McMurray

Acadia Veterinary Clinic and Pet Rehabilitation Centre collected about $1,100 and boxes of supplies for the Alberta SPCA and Edmonton Humane Society.

“It was pretty overwhelming,” said veterinary technician Marlee Wiebe, who planned a bake sale at the clinic.

“People were buying like $50 or $60 of baking.”

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A pair of Saskatoon real estate agents from Royal LePage Varsity organized a day-long donation drive, collecting a semi-truck full of items for an Alberta food bank.

“The response on the day was unbelievable. We almost thought we were going to need a second truck,” co-organizer Paul Chavady said.

Including matched funding from the Alberta and federal governments, the Red Cross has received $323 million for Fort McMurray relief in the past year.