Paul Band family devastated by loss of home from wildfire

PAUL FIRST NATION – A couple with four children lost their home in a wildfire that continued to burn Wednesday through the Paul First Nation.

James and Ramona Strong’s home was levelled by the flames Tuesday night. All that’s left is the front steps. The band says they’ve put the family up in a hotel.

“I was devastated. I was in tears. My wife was in tears. What could we do,” James Strong told Global News as he surveyed the charred remnants of their home. “It’s a small reserve with only one fire truck and one water truck. There’s only so much they could do. With the fires jumping all over the reserve, they were driving back and forth.”

On Tuesday, water bombers and crews were called to a fire on the First Nation west of Edmonton. Flames there burned hundreds of acres and forced the evacuation of as many as 150 residents.

The Sustainable Resource Development team, along with crews from the Paul Band and surrounding First Nations, worked into the night to build a perimeter around the flames, said band adviser Dennis Paul.

“We’ve got different squads placed around the fire … to make sure that if any sparks get away, we’ll be ready,” Paul said.

Paul believes the fire spread Saturday after a garbage fire got out of control. The flames were contained Sunday, but hot spots flared up again Tuesday, and the fire persisted Wednesday. Fire crews now hope the wind will steer the fire toward a creek where it may eventually put itself out.

The Paul Band fire was one of dozens that have burned across the province this week. A drier than normal winter combined with a hot, windy spring have created ideal conditions for wildfires to spread.

In Yellowhead County, crews responded to two fires Tuesday. One, which started in the box of a truck, burned almost two hectares of brush before being brought under control. The other threatened a number of houses, one severely, but residents were not evacuated. Fires were also burning in the Smoky River Region, Enoch and Alexis.

Fire bans remain in place for much of north and central Alberta.

Meanwhile in Edmonton, windy, dry and hot conditions prompted the city to issue a partial fire ban Wednesday.

The ban prohibits fires in parks, including charcoal or briquette barbecues, open air burning and fireworks.

Backyard firepits are still allowed.

It was a year ago this May that wildfires burning east of Edmonton destroyed houses, torched a youth camp and forced the evacuation of hundreds.

The flames spared Barb Percy’s home in Lamont County, but they consumed almost everything else on her family’s farm. In the 11 months since, the Percys have rebuilt their barn. They’ve put up a new fence and replaced the outbuildings, campers and other items lost to the flames.

But with another fire season burning – a season that threatens to be among the worst in years – the Percys can only hope that this time they and theirs are spared.

Barb Percy says her family is better prepared this year. They spent six weekends this winter burning brush around their property to create a firewall. Their new buildings have metal roofs and they’re more conscious about having water ready and keeping gas away from their home. But Percy knows that might be not be enough.

“I’m extremely worried,” she said. “It’s probably one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had.”

She may be right to fret. Provincial officials have warned that this season – which started dry and has continued hot and windy – could be devastating. In the provincial forest protection area alone, the province has recorded 269 fires this year, up from a five-year average of 87 for this date. Outside the protected area, fire crews from Sustainable Resource Management have helped fight 12 of the dozens of wildfires that have burned provincewide.

floyie@thejournal.canwest.com

rwarnica@thejournal.canwest.com