News of the devastating events unfolding in Jasper over the past week have reached all corners of the province, the country, and beyond. Communities and individuals with connections to the staple Alberta community have mobilized as fast as the fire itself to provide emergency support to evacuated Jasperites, and Athabasca is no exception.
Doreen Zenner and son Hunter Zenner have called the mountain community nestled in the National Park home for 20 years. The Zenner’s, along with 25,000 other locals and tourists, were forced to flee the evening of Monday, July 29.
Reports of two fires near the town came in a week prior, on July 22. Despite the preventative evacuation alert issued the same day, the short-term notice for the mass evacuation was a turn many did not expect.
And as Doreen and Hunter left their two-bedroom apartment and joined the line of vehicles congesting the highway heading east, they didn’t expect that would be the last time they would shut the door to their home.
“It’s completely gone. Our apartment burnt to the ground—the whole building,” said Doreen in an Aug. 1 interview. She said she received the news the next day from a friend fighting fires in the townsite who sent her photos of where the Zenners' home used to stand.
“I couldn’t fathom it. I completely broke down,” said Doreen. “I thought they would try to save people’s homes, but there was just nothing they could do. I was devastated.”
Doreen, Hunter, a Ukrainian coworker from Home Hardware, and a boy who recently lost his mother to cancer, packed into Doreen’s vehicle Monday night with little more than a spare change of clothes.
It took more than four hours to leave the park, but another of Doreen’s friends directing traffic told her vehicles were being escorted towards the route to Hinton via Highway 16.
“He said, ‘I know your parents live in Athabasca. I know you want to go that way,’” recalled Doreen. “That was at like two in the morning when we finally left.”
Doreen and company drove northeast overnight toward the community she used to call home. Her parents, Frank and Judy Deren, still reside in the county near Colinton, where Doreen and her passengers arrived early on Tuesday morning.
“I cried and cried, but it was a relief in a way, though, too, to see my parents for support,” said Doreen. “It was because I just was so scared.”
Shortly after she arrived, Doreen’s sister and husband-in-law from Grande Prairie travelled to Athabasca to offer extra support. And many more locals besides family members have come together to help Doreen and Hunter in the span of five days following the evacuation.
Dianne and Darren Schmidtke, long-time residents of the area and close friends of Doreen and Hunter’s mobilized shortly after the fire struck the townsite. They opened a trust for the duo, and posted an ask on Facebook for anyone with room in their hearts and wallets to contribute.
“When I initially started this, I just wanted to ask her if she was ok,” said Dianne. “Our friends and family had started asking how everyone could help.”
Dianne said when she approached the Athabasca Credit Union to start a trust account for Doreen, staff were more than happy to help, even waiving transaction fees for the trust.
As of Aug. 2, community members have raised approximately $1,500 for the Zenners, not including direct contributions to Doreen from family members.
“We don’t have any goal. It’s just a secure space for somebody to help Doreen and Hunter. One more dollar than what she has right now is going to help both of them.”
Athabascans of all ages have given what they can, including one seven-year-old girl who felt moved to help out.
“She heard some of us adults having the conversation, and she’s seen the news,” said Dianne. “She emptied out her piggy bank, and it was $11.36. I was chuckling because I even saw the penny. She said she finds them at her grandpa’s house.”
Dianne said the couple plans to keep the account open for a month to start and will reassess the next steps after August based on Doreen and Hunter's wishes and needs.
E-transfers can be sent to [email protected], and the Schmidtke’s are asking anyone contributing to include their full name and/or phone number with the transfer.
“She’s a phenomenal person,” Dianne said of Doreen. The pair have known each other since their late teenage years when Dianne came to Athabasca with her new husband.
“We’ve always stayed in contact, she’s a part of my family,” said Dianne. “My husband and I, we just love her. I don’t know how to say it without being a huge gush ball.”
Doreen’s son will be staying in Cochrane with his father for the near future, and Doreen has plans to stay with her parents in Athabasca for the time being. She signed up as a volunteer for the cleanup, and is eagerly awaiting the day she can return to Jasper to assist with ongoing efforts.
“The images that I’m seeing in the videos — it’s unrecognizable,” said Doreen. “It’s hard to picture it without those places there.”
“But we will rebuild, and be stronger than we were before.”
