Tim O'Rourke is celebrating his 55th birthday in Innisfail.
He never planned it this way.
The wildfire in Fort McMurray destroyed his home, and put his business – the Connect weekly newspaper – temporarily out of business, although the website is still up and running.
O'Rourke, who is the publisher and sales manager of Connect, made it to Innisfail as an evacuee after fleeing the wildfire with 88,000 other residents on May 3. Last week, the Province gave office space to O'Rourke and Fred Gorman, general manager of the newspaper's company, Star New Publishing Inc., and former publisher of the Red Deer Advocate.
“We are living like nomads right now. It was wonderful having a home- cooked meal,” said a grateful O'Rourke, who is now staying with his sister and brother-in-law, Maureen and Dave Hample.
O'Rourke's journey to Innisfail was one he will never forget. It all began in the early afternoon of May 3 as he was wrapping up his latest edition of Connect.
His wife Barb called, and said, “Look at the sky.”
“We were going to meet at our place in the Abasand neighbourhood,” said O'Rourke. “The sky was dark. It was very eerie.
“Beacon Hill, south of Abasand, looked like it was on fire. You could see the flames,” he added. “This meant we had to get into action.”
O'Rourke quickly packed up their passports, some clothes, and assorted odds and ends.
“The dumbest thing I grabbed was my shoehorn and a big walking cane,” he said. “Ultimately I packed more for my dog than I did for myself.”
The couple headed over to the Timberlea neighbourhood across the river to stay at a friend's house, believing they would return to their Abasand home the next day. An hour later the evacuation alerts came.
They first headed north of Fort McMurray but there was chaos with traffic. Police then turned them around to head south on Highway 63. The couple then witnessed the destructive power of the blazing inferno.
“It was very eerie going through these neighbourhoods, seeing the smoke just five hours earlier, and then going out of town and seeing Beacon Hill destroyed and cars stranded along the highway because fleeing people had run out of gas,” said O'Rourke.
But they kept driving, first on Highway 63 and then on Highway 881, until reaching Anzac, 36 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray. “When we got there it was a zoo. We kept going,” said O'Rourke.
The couple, with their dog Cailin, made it to Plamondon, and then to Lac La Biche the next day where they would stay at a motel for five days.
On May 9 he was part of a media tour to show the devastation the wildfire had on Fort McMurray. Despite seeing the loss of his own home and everything in it, O'Rourke is grateful he and his wife got out safely.
“It's all just stuff. We came out alive,” he said, adding his wife did manage to secure a box of family photos during the rush to evacuate. “I'm just thankful I had family and friends to help out during these times.
“I was amazed at the spirit of Albertans and Canadians of being so generous,” he added. I know things will get better. We are all survivors here.”
In the meantime, O'Rourke and his wife will be staying in Innisfail for up to a month. He will be taking care of newspaper business from Central Alberta until the all-clear sign can be given for residents of Fort McMurray to return home and pick up the pieces of their lives and carry on.
“There are lots of great stories to tell about how people were able to get out of Fort McMurray,” said O'Rourke, who is anxious to get his newspaper up and running again. “It's a miracle we could ever evacuate so many people.”
Tim O'Rourke
"It's all just stuff. We came out alive. I'm just thankful I had family and friends to help out during these times."
