Rebuilding After Wildfire: Survivors Offer Jasper Encouragement, Advice

Demolished structures in downtown Jasper, Alta., on July 26, 2024. The Canadian Press/Amber Bracken

When a wildfire ripped through Slave Lake, Alberta, back in 2011, Shawn Gramlich and his wife did not evacuate until the power had gone out and the house across the street was on fire.

“We never actually thought the fires were ever going to get close to Slave Lake. We really took it for granted,” Mr. Gramlich, now a city councillor for the small northern Alberta community of around 6,000 people, told The Epoch Times.

Mr. Gramlich said town residents took a long time to evacuate because they had not been properly warned about the threat the wildfire posed. The fire ended up destroying 374 properties, including Mr. Gramlich’s home. The next few years were difficult, he said, but the town managed to rebuild and return to normalcy.

“We have a big oil boom now, everyone’s working, and it feels normal now. But it took a while,” he said.

As Jasper’s nearly 5,000 residents prepare to return to their devastated town after the recent wildfire, a few Canadians who’ve experienced similar tragedies are reflecting on what it takes for communities and those who lost their homes to recover from such significant losses.

Although Jasper residents were given a full two days to evacuate, the community has been impacted in a way similar to that of Slave Lake. A total of 358 structures were destroyed, making up around one-third of the town.

“The whole country and province was behind Slave Lake during that time, and I think it brings out the best in people. I’m assuming Jasper is getting a lot of the same love and support from everybody,” Mr. Gramlich said.

Todd Bailey, who also lost his home to the Slave Lake wildfire, said he had been fighting the fire a day before it stormed through the town.

“It was quite hard as a first responder battling a blaze, knowing that your [home] was already engulfed and being destroyed, but you had to stay focused on the task at hand,” he said.

While Mr. Bailey was grateful that he and his family made it out of the town unscathed, he experienced “profound grief” in the weeks and months afterward. “Family is critical, I feel, in dealing with the initial loss, and just having those support systems around,” he said.

An aerial view of a part of Slave Lake, Alberta, which was devastated by a fire in May 2011. Mark Large/Pool/Getty Images

‘It’s Going to Be Difficult’

Although firefighters had worked for several days attempting to stop the wildfire from reaching Jasper, they were ultimately unsuccessful. On the evening of July 24, the fire tore through the southern end of the town, while structural firefighters desperately tried to protect essential infrastructure and save as many buildings as they could.

According to the town’s website, firefighters managed to save critical infrastructure such as the hospital, emergency services building, elementary and high schools, activity centre, and wastewater treatment plant. But as Mayor Richard Ireland acknowledged during a July 26 press conference, the situation is still devastating for the hundreds of people who lost their homes and businesses.

“It’s going to be difficult. The pain that will be felt almost defies description. It is beyond comprehension. People are still coming to terms with it,” Mr. Ireland told reporters. He would later learn that his own home was one of the buildings destroyed by the wildfire.

Wood Buffalo Mayor Sandy Bowman, whose jurisdiction of Fort McMurray faced a devastating wildfire in 2016 as well, offered his sympathy and said he is prepared to support Jasper as it rebuilds. In a statement to The Epoch Times, Mr. Bowman said residents in his regions are “deeply sorry for the loss that the community of Jasper has experienced.”

The 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire forced 88,000 people to evacuate and destroyed around 2,400 homes.

Mr. Bowman said his community learned many lessons after the wildfire and has “recovery, re-entry, and rebuild plans” ready to share with Jasper. He said his region will be offering expertise in areas related to damage assessments, recovery of personal items, security, communications, and business continuity, with many of those lessons originally taken from the town of Slave Lake.

“We stand with Jasper, ready to support in any way possible. We know that the road ahead for Jasperites will be long, and we are committed to supporting them until everyone has returned home,” he said.

Builders work on a new home in the Beacon Hills area after wildfires in 2016 destroyed most of the neighbourhood in Fort McMurray, Alta., on April 21, 2017. The Canadian Press/Todd Korol

An RCMP officer surveys the damage on a street in fire-ravaged Fort McMurray, Ala., on May 5, 2016. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Alberta via The Canadian Press via AP

Advice for Jasper Residents

According to Mr. Gramlich, the biggest issue he had with rebuilding following the Slave Lake wildfire was dealing with insurance companies. They attempted to “beat you down until you accept an agreement,” he said.

He eventually hired an independent adjuster who managed to acquire an additional $80,000 for his family, but he warned that issues around dealing with insurance are something that Jasperites “have to be aware of.”

Mr. Bailey from Slave Lake said that people should be selective when it comes to choosing homebuilders, and warned that some homebuilders are not as reputable as others. He said Jasperites who lost their homes should ask for assistance throughout the insurance-claiming process and should not “be in a rush” to rebuild.

“Initially, those feelings would be, ‘we have to rebuild right away.’ [But] there’s a benefit of taking things a bit slower, finding a good builder, and learning about the insurance process,” he said. “It’s certainly important to start the process, but do ask lots of questions before decisions are made. It will take a long time.”

James McLennan, who lost his home to the 2003 West Kelowna wildfire, said the experience was “very difficult” for the community. He said that although he quickly found a place to rent, he took his time when it came to rebuilding his home.

“I really considered all my options before I went ahead and did that, and I would suggest people do that,” Mr. McLennan said, adding that he developed a good relationship with his insurance adjuster throughout the process of rebuilding.

Mr. McLennan said despite losing his house to the fire, he felt “lucky” compared with his neighbours whose homes weren’t destroyed but were smoke-damaged. “Everything was smoky, so they had to kind of deal with all that, whereas I just had my house rebuilt and moved back in,” he said.

Firefighters tackle a flare-up at the Smith Creek fire in West Kelowna on July 19, 2014. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward

‘Everybody Came Together’

Mr. Bailey said he was pleased to see that neighbouring communities came together to help Slave Lake, with the “competitiveness of communities when it comes to sports rivalries” being put aside.

“Everybody came together, which was quite beautiful to see. You had strangers offering places to stay in their homes and in their campers, and just really the outpouring of support from all surrounding communities to Slave Lakers,” he said.

He said he recently had a friend reach out and ask if he would be willing to speak with those who lost their homes in Jasper to offer support. He said as wildfires become more frequent, there should be more support systems led by Canadians who have had similar experiences.

“The lessons that I’ve learned can help somebody who’s in a spot now, where they’re sitting in a hotel room and looking at their family, not knowing what to do,” Mr. Bailey said. “This is when the strength of communities shines, and you can support one another. It’s rebuilding an individual house, but it’s also rebuilding communities, and communities can help others.”