Fort McMurray, Alberta Wildfires. One week has passed since the sudden mass evacuation of all residents of the city of Fort McMurray. I had just left a local restaurant with a friend. We both immediately saw billows of smoke rising up nearby. In a few minutes, I was back at the church where I pastor. By that time dark angry clouds inhabited with fire were threatening down. Surreal! The thought came to me, “This city could burn down!”
Being informed by a couple of church staff members that an evacuation order has come into effect, I drove off to our downtown condominium to communicate the news to my wife. We quickly began to get some things together for the exodus. The sky got darker and looking out from our balcony we also noticed that our escape route of Highway 63 South was being threatened with wind, smoke and fire. By the time we got into our vehicle we knew the safer route for us was to head north on Highway 63.
We have since learned that we were two of twenty-five thousand persons who were fleeing to the north. “God will make a way when there seems to be no way.” Whatever your situation, with God, there is a path through the confusion.
The streets downtown were bumper to bumper with people desperate to get out. We were “guided” by a stranger to cross a somewhat barricaded dirt lot thereby by-passing a couple of streets. Our fuel supply was very low and a frantic stop at a vehicle-crowded gas station only slowed us down as all fuel supplies had been depleted. On we slowly went along with the thousands of others who were attempting to escape. With the smoke, falling ash and darkened skies, it felt like we were in the middle of an inferno. We drove across the bridge spanning the Athabasca River heading north. Fear and faith collided within me. Was this really happening? Everything seemed to be on both fast-forward and pause at the same time! We have since learned that we were two of twenty-five thousand persons who were fleeing to the north. “God will make a way when there seems to be no way.” Whatever your situation, with God, there is a path through the confusion.