Valemount, B.C., a village of about 1,000 people, opened its community up to Jasper wildfire evacuees.Marissa Tiel /The Globe and Mail
Reverend Kim McNaughton was in her office in Valemount’s Anglican Church on Friday morning when she noticed an evacuee from Jasper, Alta., standing frozen in the doorway. The tiny wooden parish has been running a thrift store, free for those fleeing the devastating wildfire that reached the mountain town last week.
Valemount, a B.C. village of 1,000, nestled between the Rocky, Monashee and Cariboo Mountains, is too small for a clothing store, though the drug store sells pyjamas. It is the first town west of Jasper and initially welcomed 16,000 evacuees.
Up to 1,500 remain, all confronting an uncertain future with hundreds of houses gone and no idea when it might be safe to return even to survey the damage.
Reverend Kim McNaughton and volunteers have been helping Jasper evacuees by offering clothing, including warm jackets and shoes, at a church-run thrift shop.Marissa Tiel /The Globe and Mail
Stepping over the threshold meant accepting her new reality, the evacuee told the minister, who paired her clerical collar with a pair of ripped jeans and a pink shirt.
Everything was gone. The evacuee, who didn’t even own a sweater, was starting over.
So Rev. McNaughton grabbed her in a hug. Then they walked together into the darkened vestry – and her new reality.
“People are in shock. They don’t have anything,” said Rev. McNaughton, who was recounting the evacuee’s story. “They fled in flip flops. It’s cold now. They don’t have pants, proper shoes, a jacket.”
John Van Snellenberg had time to grab his laptop, his medication, one towel, a few pair of socks and his new shoes.
“Everything else is gone,” said the former porter at the Maligne Lodge, which burned to the ground on Wednesday night.
His apartment survived, but Mr. Van Snellenberg, who has been living in his car in Valemount Pines Golf and RV Park, can’t afford to return to Jasper for the rest of his belongings.
“I have to find a job and try to move on with my life.”
Mr. Van Snellenberg is expecting his final paycheque to land in his bank account next Friday. That will be enough to get him to Vancouver Island, where he’s applied for a handful of service industry jobs.
“Even if it’s dishwashing – I just need to get off my feet so I can start over. I want to get out of the forest, as far away from wildfires as I can.”
Like a lot of Jasperites, he chokes up when he talks about the people of Valemount who have fed and housed him, and gave him the warm sweatshirt and pants he’s now wearing.
Jason Meister browses for warmer clothes at the Robson Valley Anglican United Church thrift store in Valemount.Marissa Tiel /The Globe and Mail
“The love and support we have felt from this tiny community is amazing,” said Cindy Alton, who has also been living at the golf course since leaving Jasper late last Monday, when the evacuation order was issued.
“Somehow, they’ve managed to host half of Jasper.”
Ms. Alton fled with her mortgage documents, her family’s passports and some clothes.
“I just wish I’d grabbed photos of my kids – from kindergarten all the way to grade 12. They were sitting on my dresser. I just ran out of time.”
Ms. Alton learned Thursday that her home burned to the ground, and “knowing it’s gone has given us closure,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “The worst part was not knowing.”
Noting her family’s safety, she said, “We’re fortunate: We have a travel trailer to sleep in and a place to stay. A lot of people are sleeping in their cars on the highway.”
For Brian Lackey, what makes Jasper so special is the subtle joy of living so close to nature.
“I still wake up every day and look at the mountains, and am filled with a sense of awe. After all these years, I still marvel at seeing a bear, an elk,” he said.
A highway sign offers little information for Jasper evacuees at the intersection of Highway 16 and 5 near Valemount on July 26.Marissa Tiel /The Globe and Mail
Like a lot of Jasperites, Mr. Lackey, who spent 44 years at the Jasper Park Lodge before retiring last year, has been relying on Valemount’s generosity – enjoying free salmon chowder and fries from the Flying Goat restaurant, or picking up necessities from the village thrift store.
“When I pass someone on the street, I keep wondering whether it’s his old shirt that I’m wearing.”
He’s been overwhelmed by the kindness shown from the tiny mountain town: “I was walking past the brewery yesterday, and I saw a sign offering a free lunch. It left me with such a warm feeling – that spirit of giving.
“It also makes me think: I sure hope I have the opportunity to do that some day – to repay the kindness we’ve been shown. If I’m ever in that position, I would be very generous.”
Mr. Lackey is also a guitarist for Via and the Derailleurs, a Jasper band. He and his friend, Sylvia Lariviere, a singer for the band, has been staying with a group of 17 evacuees on a property outside Valemount.
“It’s not the belongings we’re worried about, it’s the life, the community we built,” Ms. Lariviere said.
Late Wednesday night, when many Jasperites believed the town was lost to the fire, Mr. Lackey picked up his guitar.
“I thought: I’m going to stay up all night singing if I can – it might be the last time we ever play together,” Ms. Lariviere said.
“A lot of people who came here don’t have any money – they’re foreigners, seasonal workers, people with young families,” explained Brian Oates, general manager of the Valemount Pines, which welcomed 600 people last Monday night.
The village golf course is letting Jasperites stay free as long as they need: “We’re not going to try to cash in on their misfortune.”
That first night was absolute chaos, Mr. Oates said, “pouring rain, lightning everywhere. I stood directing people to the driving range, where they could park their camper or set up a tent.
“I just kept asking the dumbest question: How are you doing? A lot of people, they just started crying.”
From left, Forrest Tobias and Jake Delorme make breakfast at the Valemount Pines Golf & RV Park on Friday. The group was evacuated from Jasper earlier this week.Marissa Tiel /The Globe and Mail
When day broke, Mr. Oates made coffee and helped cook breakfast, and he didn’t sleep for the next 37 hours. On Saturday, the golf course hosted a tournament for evacuees, followed by a cookout.
Christine Torgerson, a congregant at Valemount’s New Life Church whose son is the town’s mayor, has also been working round the clock to help. More than 250 spent the night at the church on Monday.
“God told us to feed the people. I said, ‘Well how are we going to do that, Lord?’ He said, ‘One bowl at a time.’
“So that’s what we’ve been doing, cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ll keep doing it, as long as our neighbours need it.”