Remains destroyed by wildfire seen near Lytton, B.C., on Aug. 15, 2021. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
Claire Cameron is a novelist and essayist whose books include The Bear and The Last Neanderthal. This piece was assembled using phrases from more than 35 articles about personal experiences with wildfire.
We can’t control the wind
You probably remember what it smelled like a veil of thick smoke bathed in radioactive orange light throat scratchy eyes tear new fires ignite each day
All residents were asked to leave by 4 p.m. you’re throwing things in a bag weighing the value of every precious piece of paper a child clutches a favourite blanket animals were the great complication what would you choose to save?
We crawled along the highway, bumper to bumper we had to skirt around the fire visibility was so bad they could not see the lines her vehicle began melting tears streaming down my cheeks I am just hoping that we can make it to the other side
We drove by burning trees and structures it was smoky and dark filled with fist-sized embers flames swept over drought-stricken grassy fields something out of a horror film we can’t control the wind
Their city was off-limits for weeks you just want to go home and be with your stuff I hadn’t ever feared for my safety it’s like you’ve lost yourself we cannot go back to before
Wildfires displaced 185,000 people in Canada last year insurance claims, moving cities or rebuilding I think people are still reeling loss of sense of place loss of community loss of home
Coming home was the hardest part everything they left behind was lost it’s devastating to see the damage home has always been more than a structure dormant so-called “zombie” fires reanimate my wife asked me if I have PTSD
Amid a string of bone-dry summers little is known about the long-term health effects firefighters have been tirelessly protecting I want to hug them and say thank you can’t extinguish the fear and anxiety we live in a different world now.