After four long weeks, a former Steinbach woman is finally back home in Flin Flon.
Helga Wiens was one of about 5,000 people forced to leave after wildfires threatened the community. On June 25, residents from Flin Flon and nearby areas were allowed to return.
During the evacuation
She says the time spent away from home was very difficult.
“It's definitely not a great feeling. There were a couple of times where I definitely had moments of crying and anxiety. Every day we waited anxiously for our deputy mayor to post something, usually a live video on Facebook giving us an update for the day.”
Her boss, who also had to evacuate and is on city council, helped pass along trusted information.
“He updated us employees usually once or twice a day. It was definitely really hard, and the not knowing when you're going to go home is probably the hardest part.”
Wiens explains that it helped to have information she could rely on.
“We knew that the information he was giving us was correct because you know how Facebook can be, people that didn't have firsthand knowledge were posting stuff that they thought they heard or knew. So, it's always nice to get the actual information.”
Going home
Once back in town, Wiens visited the emergency centre at the rink, where she found support from the Red Cross and the local food bank. There, she got a chance to personally thank those who helped.
“I was able to talk to the deputy mayor, and I personally thanked her for her calmness through all of this. I said I waited every day to see her update, to see what she had to say about what was going on. So, it was nice to have those updates.”
The drive back to Flin Flon was full of emotion. Wiens says she did not notice many burnt areas, but as she got closer to Bakers Narrows, it all felt more real.
“As I came close to our airport, which is at Bakers, I saw a couple of those big helicopters,” she recalls. “So, to see that, it was really like you just knew that the fight was still going on, to see all the helicopters sitting on our airports.”
First look at her apartment
Returning to her apartment was emotional as she didn’t know what to expect.
“I came up to my door and there's a blue ribbon on my door handle. And I immediately started crying because it just made it so real. The blue ribbon showed that someone from the emergency personnel had been to my apartment to make sure I was gone.”
Each home in town was marked with a ribbon. Blue meant the house was empty, while yellow signalled that the residents still planned to evacuate.
“It just really hit home how serious the situation was.”
When she got inside, she was thankful.
“I really didn't smell any smoke at all, which was fantastic. My fridge had to be emptied out. Everything went into the garbage as the power had been on and off, on and off. My freezer was fine. I didn't have to throw anything out in my freezer, so that was really nice.”
In the first days after returning, the town felt quiet.
“It was very ghost town because I feel a lot of people that didn't have to come home right away took their time coming home. Now I feel like everyone's back home, and man, I have to tell you, walk down Main Street or whatever and instead of just saying hi, there's a lot of hugs. Everybody's so happy to be home and be safe.”
Returning home has brought a deep sense of relief for Wiens.
“Oh, I tell you that first night I think I slept 9 hours without moving in my own bed. It was wonderful,” she says.
Although her own home was safe, others were not as fortunate.
“Almost all of Denare Beach was wiped out, so I know people there that have lost their homes. Also, people on the lakes, I know a few people who have cottages on the lakes or homes on the lakes that also lost their homes. So, it's pretty devastating.”
Looking ahead
Now, as residents settle in, they keep an eye on the weather. The hot, dry conditions remain a concern.
“We are not liking it because with the hot spots and stuff, we prefer overcast and not sunny and hot, so hopefully they can keep the hotspots under control in this heat.”
Despite how difficult and heartbreaking the experience was, Wiens is choosing to focus on the positives.
“It’s amazing no lives are lost,” she says.
With files from Corny Rempel