'Everybody's relieved': Residents displaced by forest fire finally return home
CBC News | Posted: June 11, 2023 8:00 AM | Last Updated: June 12, 2023
Greater Madawaska lifted evacuation order Friday; area remains under a fire ban
Residents who were forced to flee when a forest fire broke out near Centennial Lake west of Ottawa are settling back into their homes this weekend.
The still-burning fire began June 4 and displaced dozens of homeowners in the rural Township of Greater Madawaska, Ont., but doesn't appear to have damaged any structures, according to Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).
According to the ministry, the fire is currently under control.
Gail Holtzhauer, owner of Snider's Tent and Trailer Park located a short walk from Centennial Lake, said she and other residents in the area are just hoping for a return to normal.
"I think everybody's relieved," she said. "We've never had a fire of this magnitude and it was just something we didn't need."
Holtzhauer said residents have proven themselves to be resilient through a series of recent crises.
"Somebody said they were going to make a shirt that said we survived COVID, the derecho and the fire," she said. "Hopefully it's strike three and we're out."
'Gives you a second thought'
Business at the trailer park's community store has picked up since evacuated residents started returning Friday, Holtzhauer said.
Nancy McCauley is one of those who recently returned. She said she was relieved to find her house still standing when she arrived.
But with so many forest fires currently raging across the country, she said her concern about the future safety of her home is growing.
"It's giving you a second thought, that's for sure," she said. "We are pretty isolated in the back bush, and hopefully we don't get too many more of these."
Fire started on an island in the lake
The fire broke out June 4 on an island in the lake and then spread to land, at one point growing to 50 hectares in size.
People with homes or cottages in four at-risk areas were asked to leave and an evacuation order was put in place by the township.
Between 35 and 50 homes ended up being evacuated before the order was lifted Friday afternoon.
Wayne Kirkwood was also able to return to his property, and said he doesn't want to think about how things could have turned out differently.
"I built this place," he said. "And it's pretty dear to me and pretty dear to my grandchildren."
Kirkwood said a fire broke out on the same island in Centennial Lake 15 years ago, so he's curious about the cause of this one.
As of Saturday, firefighters were still battling the blaze.
MNRF have said they'll remain there until it's fully extinguished, and their own investigators are trying to determine the cause.
The fire had shrunk to cover 43.7 hectares as of Saturday evening, according to the ministry's map. The township remains under a fire ban.