‘Evacuees welcome’: Small-town B.C. pub goes above and beyond to help wildfire evacuees

Penny Dixon spent the night crammed in her pickup with her two dogs by her side.

They were forced out of their home in the 103 Mile area due to wildfires, and Dixon said she didn’t sleep much Monday night “nor the night before nor the night before that.”

She is among the wildfire evacuees who have made the field behind the Iron Horse Pub in Lone Butte, B.C – a small town located 25 kilometres southeast of 100 Mile House – a home away from home.

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“They just took us in… They’ve just done so many wonderful things,” she said. “Anything you could ask for.”

A sign outside the Iron Horse reads, “Evacuees welcome.”

Pub co-owner Tracy Armstrong lets evacuees stay in the field. And her generosity doesn’t end there.

FULL COVERAGE: Wildfires burning around B.C.

The pub serves evacuees breakfast every morning and offers laundry facilities, showers and anything else they might need.

Armstrong has put in a larger-than-normal food order for Friday delivery as she expects people will be in need for a while longer.

“You need to have some sort of belonging somewhere… some safety and some security,” Armstrong said. “It’s pretty heart-wrenching, some of the stories.”

– With files from Aaron McArthur