Western Canada: Among the wildfires bad news, some happier tales emerge

Hi everyone, Mark Iype in Edmonton today.

From the Atlantic coast to the Pacific and into the North, Canada has been dealing with a steady stream of bad climate news. The record-setting, and deadly, wildfire season has laid bare how susceptible the country is to these enormous blazes with hot, dry temperatures persisting in many places for months.

Even in cities and towns where people have not faced the prospect of fleeing from fire, many have stepped out of their homes into suffocating smoke, reminding Canadians that the threat for many is real.

But among the bad news stories, have been some happier tales.

Local media shines

When the Northwest Territories was forced to confront an encroaching fire on its capital city of Yellowknife earlier this month, getting good information to the population was paramount. While the city of more than 20,000 people prepared to evacuate, some of the best coverage came from Cabin Radio, a local website that has become a go-to source for news in the region.

Ollie Williams, a former BBC sports reporter, helped launch Cabin Radio in 2017. But he too had to flee the fire that has now stalled outside Yellowknife, while continuing to report what was happening in his community.

“The job that I have is one that I love. I built myself a journalism role that was custom-designed to be one that I wanted to do. And this is the ultimate stress test,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

At a time when distrust in the media is at an all-time high, Williams and his team at Cabin Radio appear to have found their place.

“We probably helped some people in a really dire situation where people had every reason to be very panicked and worried and stressed,” he said. “And that is what local journalism should always be about.”

Lone firefighter against the flames

When Marnie Endersby and her family were forced to flee their home in West Kelowna a few weeks ago, she thought she may never get to go back again.

As she and her family watched on their backyard security camera as the flames approached, a team of firefighters worked to douse them. After they left the scene an hour later, the flames were still high she told The Canadian Press.

But soon they spotted one solo firefighter battling the blaze with their garden hose.

Endersby said she doesn’t know who this firefighter is who decided to stay behind, but she is grateful.

“We just feel like he is our angel and our hero,” she said.

The next morning, their home was still standing.

Endersby says she now wants to connect with the firefighter to hear his side of the story.

Granola bars from the sky

It’s not a typical mission for crews fighting B.C. wildfires.

Poomba the pig was left behind when his owners had to escape the Broken Rail Ranch in West Kelowna a few weeks ago.

The ranch was engulfed in flames, but firefighters helped save Poomba’s bacon in part when an airdrop of granola bars from a helicopter helped to sustain him.

“It’s just a miracle that Poomba survived,” said Keramia Lawrie, whose parents own the property.

Poomba and her sister pig, Miss Wilbur, were too stubborn for Lawrie’s father to load and evacuate. He was forced to leave them behind as the wildfire advanced on the property.

The family was heartbroken and worried until Poomba was spotted by a helicopter pilot in the midst of the destruction.

“He actually threw down some granola bars from the helicopter and then the next day we knew she was okay,” said Lawrie.

Unfortunately, Miss Wilbur wasn’t as lucky. But Poomba has been described as a symbol of survival and hope during what has been a seemingly endless wildfire season.

This is the weekly Western Canada newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox and Alberta Bureau Chief Mark Iype. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.