Family from Carlisle fled Canada wildfires 

Mum Sara Keelan, 43, had to make the heartbreaking decision on-the-spot on what to take with her if her home burned down in Canada.

She packed her wedding album, her sons’ baby boxes, passports, emergency papers and a box of mementos from when she and her husband Iain, 42, emigrated from Carlisle.

“I had to go through the house room by room thinking: ‘If the house went up in flames, what would I miss? What would I not want to burn?’,” she said. “I have learnt a lot about the value of stuff.”

Sara revealed her family’s incredible journey as they continued to deal with the fall-out from the fire, which has now moved away from the city but destroyed more than 2,400 buildings.

Thousands of evacuated residents continue to live in temporary shelters – and she and her family, including sons Alexander, six, and Matthew, two, are staying in a friend’s static caravan.

The couple both grew up in Carlisle and lived in Wansfell Avenue, Morton, before they emigrated 10 years ago.

They both still have family in the city, including Sara’s mum, Margaret Wadsworth, who lives in Ash Grove, Belah, and Iain’s dad, David Keelan, of Geltsdale Avenue, Durranhill.

As she packed on May 3, Sara also threw in as many things as she could which were familiar to her sons, like Alexander’s Spiderman pillow. But, much to Alexander’s confusion, she would not let him bring his birthday presents – his sixth birthday was the day after the evacuation.

When the car was full, Sara and the boys left along with the other 88,000 residents who were ordered to evacuate because a massive wildfire was approaching Fort McMurray in northern Alberta.

<img src="" alt="Canada wildfire photo" title="The blaze at For McMurray" width="625">

Just a few hours earlier, the family had no idea their lives were about to be turned upside down.

Iain had left for work as normal that morning and at lunchtime, when Sara had picked Alexander from kindergarten, there was smoke in the air but the skies were blue.

Some of her friends from nearby areas were told to evacuate and came to Sara’s house. “We thought it would be over,” said Sara. “Nobody had any perception that they might be with us for the night and we never had any perception of how fast it happened. I think that’s what took everybody by surprise.”

Throughout the afternoon, the skies got blacker and blacker with smoke, and, at 6pm, a mandatory evacuation order was issued to the whole city.

Iain could not get back because the fire had jumped the road between his work and home, so Sara and the boys had to leave without him.

It took her four hours to drive a journey that would normally take 40 minutes because of the sheer volume of traffic on the road.

“But there was no panic,” said Sara. “Although it was busy, although people were concerned, people weren’t panicking.

“When I look back, that’s what surprises me but doesn’t surprise me, because of the nature of people who live there.

“Everybody was just in the same situation, so we just got on with it.”

Sara explained that because Fort McMurray is in the hub of Alberta’s oil sands region, many people work in heavy industry and about 50 per cent of the population know first aid. “If you had to evacuate a city of 88,000 people, Fort McMurray is probably the best city to do it,” she said.

Sara and her sons stayed a cramped night in temporary accommodation for workers in one of the oils sands camps. Sara said she was very grateful to have a bed – 30,000 people fled north and many weren’t so lucky.

The next day, Sara managed to get their names on a list for a flight.

She had to repack because she could only take two bags with her and many of the precious items she had saved like her wedding album and sons’ memory boxes had to be left in the car.

“That’s still not sitting right with me two weeks later,” said Sara, “There’s still things I would want to have with me.”

For the next 12 hours, Sara and her boys drove on a bus from airstrip to airstrip, hoping to get a flight. As well as being crammed in next to people, there were lots of dogs and even a turtle in a mini aquarium on the bus.

When she knew she was getting a flight to Edmonton, Sara texted Iain and a few hours later they were reunited at the arrivals lounge – 48 hours after he’d left for work.

“That was the first time that I cried just with pure relief that we were all together and that whatever happened, we had the important things with us – ourselves and our two boys – and we would face whatever was coming next together,” said Sara.

The family stayed in a hotel for a couple of nights before relocating to a friend’s static caravan where they will stay until they can return home.

As far as they know, their house was not destroyed in the fire but some of their friends have lost their homes.

Sara said: “We haven’t had any official confirmation but we know that the fire got within half a mile of our house, so there’s definitely smoke damage.

“It’s definitely going to have been affected in some way but as far as we know it’s still standing.”

This week Fort McMurray residents are hoping to hear when they will be allowed to return to their homes.

“Everybody now wants to get back and wants to get back to their home to start again, to rebuild,” said Sara.

“There’s always been a pride in the community. We’re proud of where we are, where we’re from, what we do. We bind together.”

Sara said the community is multicultural and tightly knit, people from around 32 countries living there. When people ran out of petrol on the highway as they were evacuating, others would stop to give them lifts.

Edmonton residents have also generously welcomed the evacuees – Sara said a stranger bought them breakfast the other morning when he found out they were from Fort McMurray.

Meanwhile, Sara’s kids think it’s all been a grand adventure.

She said: “To me, my biggest relief right now is my kids never saw a flame so they think we’re on vacation now.

“They understand that there was a fire and the police said we had to leave but they have no perception that there were flames in their friends’ houses.”

Sara also paid tribute to the police and fire services for the work they have done and continue to do.

When asked how the fire has changed her, Sara said: “I’ll never let my car have no fuel in it. My car will always be full of fuel and I will always have a bag packed ready to grab.

“But it won’t stop me returning to Fort McMurray – that’s our home, that’s where our boys were born, that’s where they go to school, where their friends are.

“It won’t stop us but I have got a healthy respect for Mother Nature now.”