Slave Lake - After the fire

More images from May 27th as the first residents are allowed to return to town after being evacuated on May 15 when a wildfire blew into town.

After The Fire - Returning To Slave Lake Alberta

I am slowly uploading some of the photos that I was able to capture the first day that residents returned to Slave Lake. Access was only available to residents and support services and I had to get clearance to enter to perform service work.  

On the trip into Slave lake, I saw several City firetrucks and crews from as far away as Calgary and Edmonton headed back home.  Here is the highway just before entering Slave Lake,

As photographers, we shape the viewers perception of an event by how we chose to focus and frame our photographs.  Below is a view that we have all seen on national media outlets in the last week and a half.   As serious as THIS damage is, the rest of the story is that firefighters managed to hold a line and the most of the dealership still stands, trees behind are intact and fortunely a row of townhomes hehind still stand inhabitable.    The loses are still incredible - across the street the mall is mostly intact but the entire City Hall, Courthouse and Library are in ruins.   It was frustrating to see the coverage of the big loses being reported but unable to know what was still standing.  I cannot image how I would have felt if I had a home or business and I was waiting for news.

After The Fire - Slave Lake Alberta

I was in Slave Lake yesterday restoring banking services as the first wave of residents returned following the mass evacuation on May 15th when a wild fire jumped the hiway.  Over 350 homes , many business and civic buildings were destroyed.  Most of the downtown core survived but signs of the fire are still being cleared up.  The fire jumped the Legion, the church behind and the school but the old hotel and two blocks beyond were burned.  Flags throughout town bear testament to the heat and the smoke.