PHOTOS SU B MI T T ED
A new reality BY KALI MCKAY
The day before the fire came to town was much like any other for Jessica Bevans, a University of Lethbridge education student who had returned home for the summer to Widewater, Alta., a small community in the MD of Lesser Slave River. Bevans never imagined that a devastating fire would sweep through her hometown and permanently change her perspective. “People in this area are used to having smoke from wildfires pass through in the summer,” says Bevans, who was unconcerned by smoke in the distance from a nearby fire. By early evening, however, there were harbingers of the coming disaster: the fire was moving faster than anticipated and seemed more unpredictable than usual. Bevans and her family were put on evacuation notice. “I started feeling very uneasy at that point,” recalls Bevans, who stayed up most of the night monitoring the fire’s progress. “The next morning the fire was visibly closer and we decided it was time to get out.”
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Bevans and her family made their way to the town of Slave Lake, which was originally thought to be safe from the threat. However, soon after their arrival, shifting winds put Bevans and her family back in harm’s way. Not knowing what the next few hours would hold, Bevans made her way to the local Walmart to pick up some provisions for her family. “I remember it was so weird because people were still stocking the shelves; it just seemed surreal to me,” reflects Bevans. “Forever, I will remember a boy, sitting on the floor, stacking puddings, all the while the fire was about to hit town. Before I left, I said to the cashier, ‘What are you guys still doing here?’ and she said, ‘You’re my last customer.’ As I got to the parking lot, you could see the wind shift again. That was the moment the fire hit town.” For the next two days, there was little Bevans could do but sit and watch as fire destroyed much of her hometown. Now, in the aftermath of the inferno, emotions in the community are mixed. “Initially, there was a lot of anger and frustration, but people didn’t have anything to direct it toward,” says Bevans. “Despite everything,
Jessica Bevans, pictured above in dark green, stands with her family outside their home.
there have also been great acts of kindness and generosity. Two churches burned down, but spaces were offered rent-free to make sure people would have opportunities to gather and worship as they wanted. Others opened their homes. Donations have flooded in from across Canada.” As the restoration process begins, signs of resiliency are obvious. A recent Facebook status from one resident read: We will rebuild. “I think there’s a definite change in attitude now. People’s spirits are starting to lift out of feelings of despair and hopelessness to feeling like there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” says Bevans. “It was not an easy summer. It’s definitely been a learning experience,” she adds, reflecting on the past six months. “My family was fortunate but we’ve witnessed a lot of hardships. Things like this really put life into perspective.”
S AM | So u t h e r n A l b e r t a M ag az i n e | U n i v e r s i t y o f Le t h b r i d g e