People being loaded onto buses for evacuation in CRDN. (Submitted photo/ CRDN Councillor Roy Sean Cheecham)

By Angela Brown

Buses transport evacuees

CRDN evacuees arrive in Lloydminster after escaping wildfires

May 4, 2023 | 8:42 PM

Evacuees from the Clearwater River Dene Nation (CRDN) wildfires are getting situated in Lloydminster.

Howard Laprise, one of the evacuees, now staying at BCMInns hotel, said it was a close call as he was being moved out early Thursday morning. He was awoken by one of the security personnel who alerted him it was too dangerous to stay.

“Right now, I [feel] kind of lost because I came with nothing,” he said. “They woke me up when I was sleeping, a little after 2 this morning. I just grabbed my ID. That’s it.”

Laprise said the whole experience was terrifying. He had to act quickly.

“All of a sudden, people are banging on your door, without saying anything,” he added.

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Laprise doesn’t know how long he’ll be staying in Lloydminster at this point.

“Right now, they are evacuating everybody in Clearwater because it’s getting worse,” he said.

He mentioned he’s hungry, and exhausted from being awake all night. He’s also worried about the state of home since he left.

Donald Herman, 63, had to leave his home suddenly in the middle of the night. He was woken up by personnel advising him he had to go.

Herman said his sister and her family who lived nearby went to stay in Prince Albert when they escaped.

He ran out of his home without time to grab any of his possessions.

“I didn’t even know [my home] was on fire because I was sleeping,” he said. “It was about 2:30 in the morning. I kind of singed my eyebrows, but I’m ok. I was in shock. I couldn’t see nothing [from the dense smoke].”

Herman said he’s in need of money, something to eat, and a change of clothing, after leaving without time to prepare. He also left his cellphone behind too.

“I’m lucky I had my wallet in pants,” he said. “When I was running out, I grabbed my pants. Otherwise, I would have no ID either.”

More evacuees were expected to arrive later Thursday night.

CRDN Councillor Roy Sean Cheecham said the side of one of the houses caught fire but firefighters managed to save it.

“Others were very close,” he said. “We collectively saved about a dozen homes today,” he said.

Zoey Bourgeois, Emergency Response Team volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross, said volunteers are helping the evacuees arriving by bus.

“We’ve set up here, and we’re just waiting for the next round of buses to show up,” she said. “We’re analyzing [the situation] as things come. We’re trying to keep up with people asking for cash cards. We’re just trying to stay on top of things.”

Bourgeois said the evacuees need meals and a lot of people don’t have any clothes, so the Red Cross is doing its best to assist people.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @meadowlakenow