Residents seek wildfire answers

FORT MCMURRAY An outpouring of frustration and demands for answers overtook the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s first council meeting to be held in Fort McMurray since the city was evacuated when a destructive wildfire swept through on May 3.

When the meeting started Tuesday night, it was standing room only in the Jubilee Centre council chamber. Some people opted to sit cross-legged on the floor and even Wildrose Leader and Fort-McMurray-Conklin MLA Brian Jean had to find a spot to lean against a wall.

An overflow room where proceedings could be watched on a screen also quickly filled, leading Mayor Melissa Blake to remark before opening the meeting that the next time council returned following a major event, a bigger venue would be booked.

Once the meeting started, it became apparent that the residents, weren’t there to just to listen.

Following the first reading of a bylaw to form a Wood Buffalo recovery committee, several people shared their concerns about the wildfire and its aftermath.

Resident Andrew Thorne said the evacuation happened too slowly. He called for an investigation into not only the cause of the fire, but the decision-making that he believes endangered the fleeing residents who should have been gone before the flames arrived.

Blake said mid-morning assessments hours before the evacuation showed no indication that the wind would change the way it did.

A few people spoke about their individual struggles, saying they couldn’t get answers elsewhere.

One woman’s yard had been bulldozed to protect her house from the fire, yet her insurer won’t cover the damage. A man wanted confirmation that the Waterways neighbourhood would be rebuilt so he could work with his insurer. Another man whose home burned down wanted to know how he could retrieve undamaged equipment from inside the restricted area. Told by officials to call the municipality, others called out that no one would take their calls.

Blake advised people to be patient and get in contact with the municipality and said someone would get back to residents about their concerns.