In order to really understand where someone’s coming from, I often try to put myself in their shoes. I spend time imagining what something would be like, what my reaction would be and how it would affect me and those I love.
This week I interviewed a single mother from Williams Lake, Maxine Sellars, who fled from the fires with her three-year-old son to the safety of her sister’s home in Sechelt.
As I listened to her talk about fearing for her son’s health while breathing in air thick with smoke, and the constant anxiety of knowing a nearby forest fire could cause evacuation at any moment, I tried to imagine it – and instantly I was transported back to the Old Sechelt Mine fire of 2015.
Our house was only about two kilometres away from that fire and I remember the eerie and distressing feeling of waking up to an orange and brown smoke-filled sky one morning.
I remember trying to work in the yard while ash fell down all around me, and having to breathe through my shirt to filter out the particles.
I remember being so scared I couldn’t sleep and constantly praying for the safety of our family and our home, which we had just purchased two years earlier.
I remember the anxious feeling that set in and wouldn’t go away, a constant burning ache in my stomach that would move me to tears without notice.
For a short time we feared we’d have to flee our home, and I had no idea where we’d go.
Of course, the Old Sechelt Mine fire was extinguished long before evacuation was even a topic of discussion beyond the waterfront properties at Carlson Point, but I can still remember the intense emotion of that time and how draining just thinking about it was.
So I had a great deal of empathy for Maxine this week.
I could appreciate how hard it was for her to just get here, never mind hold it together for her young son, who is all too familiar with the words “fire” and “smoke” and shows visible signs of distress when he hears them.
Maxine’s story is just one of thousands that could be told right now as over 45,000 people have been displaced by the fires that continue to rage in B.C.
Although the situation is dire, hundreds of volunteers are doing what they can to support those evacuated, battle the blazes and protect property that’s been left behind.
Coasters can help by giving financially to reputable charities that are on the ground offering assistance, like the Red Cross and the United Way, and donations to Maxine and her son are being accepted at the Royal Bank in Maxine’s name.
The Booty Camp Girls have also organized a fundraiser for victims of the fire on Aug. 5 at Roberts Creek Hall, featuring a burlesque show and a DJ dance party. Tickets are available at www.share-there.com.
