When Marc Heethuis-Dubois was heading home on Monday evening from Lethbridge after picking up two cats as part of his volunteer work with Boomer’s Haven—Animal Rescue & Sanctuary, based near Airdrie in Irricana, the trip seemed uneventful at first. But about a half-hour into the drive, his vehicle suddenly lost power.
"Thankfully, we were able to pull over to the side of the road in a rest stop area, and as soon as we came to a stop, things started going just haywire," he said.
Smoke began wafting from underneath the hood.
"I popped the hood up to get a better idea if it was smoke or steam, and that's when I saw flames on the engine."
Panic set in as Dubois realized the gravity of the situation. When he stepped out to assess the fire, he saw the flames growing rapidly. Frantically, he returned to the car to try to save the animals.
"I went back to the driver's door and got into the passenger seat to unlock the door to get the cats out of the back who were in kennels, and I ran to the back of the vehicle, and the hatch wouldn't open," he said. "The panic just kept increasing. [I] ran back to the front and tried the lock again. It didn't make a noise."
In the rush, Dubois noticed that the car hadn’t been put in park. He quickly shifted it into park, all while flames and smoke continued to build.
"I clicked the lock button again, and it made a noise, and I went to the back; I think it took three tries total to get the lock. Finally, when it unlocked, I opened the hatch and grabbed the cats; I could feel the heat," Dubois said. "I could hear the sizzling and popping sounds and grabbed the kennels. We had three kennels total in the back. One of them was empty, and I just ran with the kennels that I could."
With the cats safely in hand, he managed to grab a blanket as well. Only moments later, he heard a terrifying sound as the flames rapidly intensified.
"... [The] sound of fire pressing through the cabin. It came from the front of the dash area to the back in a very quick fashion. It was incredible. The sounds, the smells, the sight of it just completely going up in such a rapid time."
A driver behind Dubois had witnessed the incident, pulled over, and assured him they had called 9-1-1. As Dubois stood by, he watched his car engulfed in flames.
"It was the most horrific experience that I've ever had in my life, knowing that I didn't think I had done enough, and I was so uncertain of where I went from here... It was the hardest thing to experience, possibly letting somebody down."
In the chaos, Dubois briefly feared he had left a cat inside, haunted by the empty kennel. It eventually occurred to him that the third kennel had been empty. Volunteer firefighters from Carmangay and RCMP officers from Vulcan soon arrived at the scene.
Dubois expressed deep gratitude for the strangers who stopped to help him, recalling, "The person that stopped to help [and call 9-1-1] was a resident of Grand Prairie travelling with his family. They had gone down to Lethbridge for the day and were travelling back to Vulcan to spend the night with family members. They were the kindest people."
After the fire was under control, Dubois and the cats returned to the fire hall with the firefighters, waiting until someone could pick him up. As his adrenaline wore off, the shock of the ordeal began to set in.
"And they recognized this in me, that I was in shock, and they did everything right to keep me calm. I was shaking uncontrollably, unable to even formulate a clear thought. Still, they kept us all safe until friends were able to arrive."
The fire destroyed Dubois's car and consumed some of the donation items in the car as well. Dubois's mother set up a GoFundMe page that has since raised $2,000 to help with the losses.
"The support has been overwhelming from close friends and family [from] other rescue organizations that we work very closely with across Alberta and beyond. Some of their members have reached out in personal and public messages to offer any support they can, and the donations have started to come our way," he said. "We know our community is very generous, even in very tough times. There are not many words to express how grateful we are."
Dubois added that while he is still in shock, the cats seem to be settling in well.
"We have so much tremendous support from the community and our friends in animal rescue; they encouraged us to share this story because they said the community does want to help - they just don't know how to help if they don't know what's happening. So, we're incredibly grateful for any support and awareness of where we're at."
The GoFundMe aims to raise $20,000.
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM.
DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app.