Shortly after 1 p.m. on may 3,
curtIs trent
NG
Homeowner Monica Thompson (left)
with insurance adjuster
Christie Belok-Bunn (right)
amidst the rubble of Thompson’s home
Steve Russell climbed the steep hill behind his
Waterways home to check on the advancing Fort
McMurray wildfire. At a news conference two hours
earlier, fire officials noted that while the fire appeared
to have died down—due to a temperature inversion,
whereby hot air at higher altitude traps smoke close to
the ground—it was likely just an illusion.
What Russell saw as he peered across the ridge was
horrifying: The inversion had lifted and Beacon Hills
was fully engulfed in flames. The fire was quickly
pushing toward Waterways, one of the city’s oldest
neighbourhoods. Russell let out a deep sigh and
climbed back down the hill to tell his wife Monica
Thompson they had 30 minutes to leave.
Thompson grabbed her passport, overnight bags
and some food for their dog, Molly. “I walked right
by my laptop sitting on the dining room table, as I
thought we’d be coming back—I didn’t think this
was a forever thing,” she says. Not a bad assumption
considering their two-storey, 1940s log home had
survived previous natural disasters in the Wood
Buffalo area.
Their home, known by locals as “the log house on
top of the hill,” attracted a parade of trick-or-treaters
every Halloween—as well as ongoing rumours about
its occupants. Some neighbours speculated the owners must be eccentric artists, but Thompson worked
as an auditor for an oil company and Russell runs a
tiling business.
The pair climbed into their vehicles and drove down
to the banks of the nearby Clearwater River. They
stayed there for several hours, but as the smoke thickened around them, they realized they’d have to drive
out of the city. Before leaving, Thompson called AMA
Insurance to let them know she’d need to file a claim:
Her house had just burned down. »
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