Fort McMurray evacuees share stories of the wildfire's devastating impact

If your house caughtfire and you couldsave onlyone thing, what would it be?

It's a question most of us have been asked at one point or another one so common that entirebookshave been filled with answers to it.

Hypothetically, the choice is a tough one. In reality, you may not get a choiceat all.

More than 80,000 Canadians were forced to leave their homes and belongings behind last week as wildfire spread to Fort McMurray, Alta. and surrounding areas.

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With as little as minutes to prepare to leave their homes, residents fled without hesitation when a mandatoryevacuation order was issued onTuesday but many still don't know what willbe left of their houses, jobs and already-strugglingcommunitywhen they return.

The wildfirehas already destroyed more than 1,600 homes and buildings by the most-recent estimates, and conditions remain extreme despite incredible efforts to combat it.

Alberta's governmentcommitted $100 millionin emergency funding to thosedisplaced by the fire last week,and imagesof flames raging inFort McMurray haveinspired an outpouring ofdonationsfrom people worldwide through the Canadian RedCross.

Sadly, however, money can't bring back everything lost so far.

Chantal Giroux-Boutin, a resident of the hard-hit Beacon Hill neighbourhood,says her belovedterrierdied as they escaped the wildfire. "He was stressed out. He hyperventilated and he had a stroke," she told CBC News. "He's with us in the car, on ice... We are going to bury him in Edmonton."

FortMcMurrayresidentDuane Brooks came out of retirement without a single day off from his job as an electricianto helpset up camps in Lac La Bichefor those fleeing the wildfire. Crews are working to place dozens of mobile homes on land that wasdonated to reliefeffortsby theCalgary-based companyBlack DiamondGroup.

Flames were consumingwhat was left of the Centennial Trailer Park on Tuesdaywhen residents Joanne Bates and John Davidson spoke to CBC News."Everything I worked for the last two years, it's all gone," said Davidsonof hishome, vehicles and snowmobiles. "It's probably all blown away now."

Rodney Gosse is currently staying withhis wife, two kids and more than 2,000 other evacueesat aconvention centre in downtown Edmonton. The family is sleeping on faux-leathercouches in the bustling, volunteer-packedhubuntil a more permanent shelter can be found."I want to leave the best accommodations for theparents with young children," Gosse told CBC's Lucas Powers."That's not easy."

Emily Ryan, 15, and her 19-year-old cousin, Aaron Hodgson, were travelling on Highway 881 Wednesday afternoon along with many others trying to get away from the wildfire. Just outside of Lac La Biche, their SUV collided with a tractor-trailer. Both were killed on the scene.

It was "absolute mad craziness" in Abasand on Tuesday for Julie Lodge, who hadmoved to Fort McMurray from Newfoundland about six years ago. Among the surreal things she witnessed while driving through hours of smoky traffic was a woman saving three horses from the fire at once, "just galloping through town."

lise Boissonneaultwas getting ready to leaveher home inFortMcMurrayto get married in Torontowhen evacuationorders were issued. Her wedding gown was being altered at a seamstress's house and there wasn't enough time to grab it before fleeing. After hearing ofher story, more than100 dresses were offered to the bride throughFacebook,as well as other free services likehairstyling and jewelry.Boissonneaultwasmarried as plannedon Saturday in Toronto.

Volunteer firefighters from the First Nations andMtiscommunities of FortMcKayand FortChipewyandescribedwhat it's beenlike tobattle the "beast" in FortMcMurray, inan interview Sunday. "I couldn't believe what we had been through," said FortMcKaydeputy fire ChiefRon Quintal. "What I had just saw. I saw an entire city on fire."

Erica Deckerand her husbandfled FortMcMurraywith their young daughter, Piper,on Tuesday. Withflames just metres from her house in Beacon Hill, Decker hurried to packwhat she could but was forced to leave behind a trove of baby pictures, intricate painted portraits, and achest filled with letters from family and friends."By the time we left, our lawn was on fire," shetoldCBC'sWallisSnowdon."It was just feet away from our front door."

Fleeing home as massive wildfires rage all around can be as stressful for animals as it is for people and with a limited number of hotels that are willing to accept pets, they can be hard to find comfortable shelter for.Inside the evacuation centre in Lac La Biche, Alta., there is a shelter within a shelter taking care of dozens of cats, dogs and even chickens for grateful evacuees.

Tamara Wolfe, also from Beacon Hill,has no doubt her home of eightyears is gone. "It's not the brand new kitchen that we just renovated. It's not even the house," she said Wednesday. "It's my grandparents' antiquesand the china and the silver from their weddingthat I'll never get back."

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