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ComingOut Stronger

By Bailey Hildebrand-Russell

Fire approaching Fort McMurray, as seen from Four Seasons Power Sports, on May 3, 2016. SUPPLIED BY BLAKE BRUSSIERES.

On May 3, 2016, Lance Bussieres was in downtown Fort McMurray with a few neighbours when he heard two explosions as wildfire crept closer to the community. That’s when he decided to return home. But the house he and his family had created a life in was engulfed in flames and past the point of being saved. Fort McMurray residents are adjusting to a “new normal” as the community works to rebuild “The firemen were in the driveway doing whatever they had to do, but it was past the point. They weren’t saving anything. They were smart enough to do what they had to do to save the rest of the downtown.” Bussieres said the firemen told him his home was likely destroyed by embers from fire that ripped through the Abasand area behind his house on Crescent Heights. Bussieres, a councillor for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo since 2013 and a real estate agent since 1991, grew up in Fort McMurray. He said he wasn’t aware of how close the fire was until the day the evacuation was called. “I just sat there and I cried,” Bussieres said.

Firefighters work to save Lance Brussieres’ home May 3, 2016. SUPPLIED BY BLAKE BRUSSIERES.

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