Stinky and rotten: Dealing with the fridges of Fort McMurray
'The guys are literally breaking their backs getting these fridges out full'
Seafood, lettuce, moose meat — all left behind to rot in the fridges and kitchens of Fort McMurray as residents fled the wildfire.
But now that many are coming home, smelly fridges are one of the first things being dealt with, packed with all that food that's been sitting in the heat for nearly a month. Several insurance companies have told people not to open their fridges and to consider them condemned.
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Connie Shields is the president of MIB Moving, one of the two companies dealing with removing fouled fridges from houses.
All the food inside is making the fridges very heavy for her crew.
"The guys are literally breaking their backs getting these fridges out full."
One of Shields' movers, Matt Walsh, says that doesn't mean the food doesn't get out.
"When you're bringing them down the stairs, sometimes the contents of the fridge likes to shift and, you know, you can wind up with some little leaks and some pretty great smells," he says.
"I don't know if anyone's ever gone on vacation and maybe left some dirty dishes in the sink and when you come back … this is times that by 10."
The fridges can't stay curbside, though, given that Fort McMurray is "bear country," Shields said. She has arranged to drop off the fridges at the local landfill. The foul organic matter needs to be removed first and treated separately.
"Double-bagged in special heavy-duty bags into the garbage", Shields says.
The crew has been taking extra precautions, wearing coveralls, gloves and respirators.
Shields says the wildfire cleanup will take months, or maybe even years. But she's confident the city will rebound.
"Fort McMurray is maybe a little different than some places," she said. "Everyone's coming back with their sleeves rolled up."