Hugs, laughter and bags of clothes spilled out into the parking lot of Calgary’s centre for Jasper evacuees Saturday morning.
It was a short moment of relief for the small group from Jasper’s Filipino community as friends delivered sorely needed clothes, with many still wearing the clothes they left Jasper in Monday night.
“It’s very good to feel we have something to help,” said Dodjee Flores, a former long-time Jasperite who drove the donated clothes from Wetaskiwin early Saturday morning, as his friends rifled through the bag looking for shirts and sweaters that fit.
While the worst of the fire appeared to have settled on Saturday, grief, shock and uncertainty remained palpable outside the centre as details around the full extent of the damage continue trickling in to residents waiting to hear the fate of their homes and businesses. It’s unlikely Jasper residents will be able to return home soon, as Premier Danielle Smith said Saturday it could be four weeks before people will be allowed to return to town.
All fires within the townsite had been suppressed on Saturday, Parks Canada said, though the fire remains out of control in nearby areas such as the Pyramid Bench area.
Flores watched with a sense of helplessness throughout the week, knowing hundreds of his friends’ and former colleagues’ homes and belongings would perish in the fire. Jasper’s Filipino community is about 1,500 people, he said. As he moved to speak about his thoughts as he watched the fire approach Jasper earlier in the week, Flores’ eyes filled with tears.
“I can’t stop my tears. I can’t help it,” he said, his voice cracking. “To see the news … they’re like family there.”
One of those friends, Jennifer Vallejos, a Jasper resident of 14 years, worked for Maligne Lodge, which went up in flames Wednesday and was one of the first defining and alarming images of the fire to emerge on social media as it reached Jasper.
Vallejos was unable to leave the lodge until Tuesday morning at 1 a.m, well after the initial order was announced, because she had to ensure all lodge guests had evacuated.
The lodge provided a bus for employees, but she decided at the last minute to flee the town in her car — a fortunate decision, she said, as it would have undoubtedly been incinerated by the wildfire.
“It’s good thing that I changed my mind last minute,” Vallejos said. She spent that first night at Mount Robson and the next morning reunited with her friends and colleagues in Valemount, eventually driving to Calgary after hearing accommodations were available through the city. Still in her work garb, Vallejos was relieved to swap out her clothes for the first time in five days.
Standing outside the centre with her mother, partner and son, Barb Schmidt learned just Saturday morning that her family’s home, along with her brother’s, were lost in the fire. Officials have said the majority of losses in the town have been residential, while critical infrastructure was saved.
Her son, Jaymes, emerged from the backcountry in Nelson, B.C., on Wednesday and received the news that his hometown was in danger.
Witnessing the slivers of information being communicated through social media, they initially believed the fire was going to level the entire town. A video the next day showed footage from the Cabin Creek neighbourhood on the west side of Jasper, which gave the Schmidt family the sense their home likely hadn’t survived.
“Just the markers that we recognize are homes, that was enough to know that if that’s on fire, then that’s gone,” Jaymes said. “But to find out that critical infrastructure that those guys worked to save, you know that means there’s a town.”
Only a few days after fire activity slowed, the sense of loss — and gratitude for the support they’ve received — is still very raw for the family. Though the Schmidts have been provided accommodations at a Calgary hotel, Barb wanted to visit the centre in case any of her Grade 7 to 11 students were there. And the support alone from volunteers, Jaymes said, has been deeply appreciated.
“Even though I don’t have a home, I have a community,” Barb said, fighting through tears.
“I’d just like to say a special hello to all my students. I just love them and I hope that they’re fine. Know that we’ll make your school again — it will take time, but we are here for you.”