Breezy Oaks Inn and Tavern in Beausejour is now a temporary home for people escaping wildfires in areas like Lac du Bonnet, Bird River, and the Whiteshell.
Brandy Arsenault, who works at the hotel and tavern, says it’s been both heartbreaking and heartwarming to see how evacuees are handling the uncertainty.
"It's pretty devastating to see what some of them have gone through and just the uncertainty of it all," she says.
Despite the emotional toll, Arsenault says evacuees are remaining surprisingly positive. "I've been able to be both on the hotel side and in the tavern side, and it's actually surprising how resilient some of these people have been. They're really looking on the bright side," she says.
When Breezy Oaks Inn put out a call for donations, they never expected the response to be so overwhelming. Now, they’ve had to ask people to hold off because the hotel lobby is packed with supplies for evacuees.
"We just got our hotel lobby completely full for all of the evacuees that are staying with us," Arsenault says. The hotel has also delivered multiple loads of donated items to the Lac du Bonnet Community Centre.
Along with displaced families, the hotel is also accommodating pets, with both dogs and cats staying at the pet-friendly establishment. "The dogs were a little apprehensive at first but seem to be coming around," Arsenault says.
-With files from Kenton Dyck.