Teamwork helps save Moon River
The swift and co-ordinated teamwork of seven fire departments helped save homes in the tiny hamlet of Moon River Estates from an approaching wildfire.
The fire started at approximately 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, west of the hamlet located in the Municipal District of Willow Creek.
Fire crews arrived on scene and an evacuation order was issued immediately. The MD also opened its emergency communications office.
Authorities initially told residents to evacuate to Lethbridge. But as the fire quickly approached and blocked the road, anyone who had not yet left was told to head down the hill to the horse paddock.
Half of the more than 100 residents were able to leave and head to Lethbridge but the other half were not, said Cynthia Vizzutti, Chief Administrative Officer for the MD of Willow Creek.
“By the time they got them ready for evacuation the fire had impacted the exit out of Moon River Estates,” she said.
For Moon River residents Mike Petty and his common-law wife Jen, it was a sleepless night. Petty, his wife, father and their pets headed to the river, as the smoke and fire made the exit road impassable.
“You could see a huge glow of flames off to the west of the road and I’m guessing they’re thinking it would cross and hit houses because of the high winds,” he said. Petty said they brought industrial equipment down the hill to build a channel to get across the river in case it was needed.
“Because there’s only one way to get in and out of Moon River. There’s just one access road, that’s it. So they were planning to get across the river if we needed to.”
Petty said it was a huge wakeup call as he didn’t have an emergency plan and there was very little time to evacuate.
At least seven fire departments assisted with support from Lethbridge County, the MD of Willow Creek Fire Services, Nobleford and Coalhurst Volunteer Fire Departments.
About 2.5 hours into the incident, the fire was beat down enough to allow the remainder of residents to be escorted to the highway to the reception centre set up in Fort Macleod.
Firefighters remained on scene until almost 5:30 a.m. to ensure all hot spots were extinguished. The co-ordination between districts and fire departments was smooth, said Vizutti.
“I have no words to adequately express the appreciation that we have for our fire departments,” she said. “These folks came with one thing in mind — to do their very best to protect people and property.
“They had everything thrown at them last night — horrible wind, in the dark, people that couldn’t get down the road to get out, lots of structures they had to protect. And they just rose to the occasion.”
While almost all of the homes were saved, one family wasn’t so lucky. Jaymie Lippa was devastated to return home to find her house in shambles.
“Looking at the front of my house it looks normal. It’s still standing,” she said. “The fire entered one of my downstairs windows and started burning from the basement up from the inside. It started in my son’s bedroom actually, so he has nothing.”
Much of the home’s interior suffered smoke and water damage. Lippa said there isn’t much they can salvage.
She was at home when the power went out Tuesday night. Lippa phoned her father, and as they were talking, she looked out the back window and could see flames in the field behind the house.
“By the time I had seen the smoke to the time when I could see flames to when I put my children in the truck it was about 12 to 15 minutes,” she said.
Lippa grabbed her three kids, their blankets and her wallet, and headed to Fort Macleod, where her parents live. They stayed the night there and went back to their house around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday. When Lippa arrived, she discovered the fire had swept through her yard and reached the home.
Lippa said she’s grateful they made it out safely and for the efforts of the firefighters.
“I just want to thank everybody who was out there fighting fires and trying to save things. Their efforts I definitely don’t want to go unnoticed,” she said. “We had community members that aren’t even part of a fire department that stepped up with fire extinguishers and tried their best. I’m very thankful for the people that jumped in.”
The family will be staying with her parents in Fort Macleod for now.
Lippa’s friend, Robyn Walton, is hoping the community can help with clothing donations. The family needs girls clothes size 12-18 months, boys clothes size 3T and 6T, women’s clothes size L-XL, and men’s clothes size Large.
Donations for the Lippa family can be made by contacting Robyn Walton at rwalton@davisgm.ca.
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