“We know the landscape is going to be profoundly changed. As long as the town can survive, the changed landscaped grows”
And, as vice-president of Marmot Basin ski resort, Rode is worried about the impact the wildfires may have on one of the province’s most popular ski destinations.
“I personally go back and forth between checking for updates and trying to take my mind off it, but it’s tough. There are a lot of unknowns right now. What will be there when we get back?” Rode said.
“We know the landscape is going to be profoundly changed. As long as the town can survive, the changed landscaped grows. It’s hard to look at it from the perspective, but right now our big concern is what will happen to our town.”
Rode said the evacuation from the resort went smoothly because all of the roughly 30 staff they have during the summer months were not on site at the time of the alert.
“Our management team is in various locations, from Kamloops, to Grande Prairie to Hinton. We’re all communicating with one another,” said Rode. “There is a lot of stress, so we’re helping them get whatever financial assistance is available to them, any mental health resources. Whatever we can do to help.”
Rode said he was able to evacuate his family to Hinton, where they have family. On Tuesday, he drove back to Jasper to get some needed equipment and said the wildfire situation had gotten worse since they left on Monday night.
“You want to remain optimistic that the town will survive, but it’s not that easy when you see the size and the level of the fire,” said Rode.
“We saw what was going on with the south fire and the east fire and they had both grown. The growth is very rapid, and there is definite cause for concern.”
While he knows the aftermath is out of his control, he’s trying to remain positive and hope for the best.
“It’s a tough situation, but a lot of Albertans and people in B.C. have been through this before. We’re not alone in this experience.”