FORT MCMURRAY, Alta.—For firefighter Mark Stephenson, the Alberta oilsands capital is his home and he plans to rebuild on the same spot where his house went up in flames.
“I’m not leaving Fort McMurray. I’m a Fort McMurray firefighter,” Stephenson said Tuesday while helping clean up one of the city’s fire halls.
“I love this place. I plan on staying.”
With his voice raspy from days of breathing in smoke, the 43-year-old recalled how one week ago he helplessly watched his own house burn. He then stuffed away his emotions and went back to work.
He’s one of several city firefighters who lost their homes, but carried on to save other houses when a roaring wildfire spread into the city.
The blaze forced more than 80,000 residents to flee. About 2,400 buildings were torched, but 25,000 were saved, including the hospital, municipal buildings and schools. That’s a good 90 percent of the city.
Stephenson, a former Edmonton soldier who joined the fire department eight years ago, said he and his colleagues dubbed the fire “the beast” because of how quickly it spread.
