Jackie Hritzuk and her partner, Wally, thought they were ready to evacuate.
On May 28, they received the official notice to leave their home in Creighton, Sask., just two kilometres west of Flin Flon. Despite having essentials pre-packed, they didn’t expect to be told by their son later that evening to leave immediately.
“He said, ‘You know mom, I really think you should be leaving tonight. The fire is just outside of the community and if the fire gets to the road you might not be able to get out,’” Hritzuk recalled.
They hit the road that night and arrived the next morning at the Carman home of Dave and Marj McInnes, Hritzuk’s brother and sister-in-law. On June 8, they moved in with her sister, Barb Lepp, and her husband, Harry.
Hritzuk, who grew up in the Carman area, said having family support has been vital during this stressful time.
“Having family around as supports has definitely helped us. We have gone sightseeing in the country and it has been nice having happy memories to distract us from what is happening close to home,” she said, adding one stop included a visit to St. Daniel School, where she started Grade 1.
The community has also stepped up for evacuees. When Hritzuk visited the local MCC Thrift Shop to pick up warmer clothes—having only packed a few tank tops—she was offered a 50 per cent discount.
“Realistically, I didn’t think we would be gone from home as long as we have been so I didn’t think to pack for the cooler temperatures,” she said.
Some items on her packing list were non-negotiable. Having lost a previous home to an electrical fire six years ago, she brought photo albums, passports, wills and other irreplaceable documents.
Hritzuk has been keeping herself busy in Carman by volunteering at Boyne Care Lodge, where residents from a Flin Flon personal care home are temporarily housed. She’s been visiting with evacuees, especially those without nearby family.
One interaction, she said, was especially meaningful: a woman with dementia who didn’t remember her at first. But when Hritzuk mentioned the woman’s daughter—who had been in the same Girl Guides program as her own daughter—something changed.
“You could see in her eyes something clicked. That interaction was absolutely priceless to me,” she said. “Volunteering some time just to say, ‘So-and-so wanted to say hi!’ has made at least one part of their stay positive.”
Meanwhile, her son and his partner have faced their own wildfire crisis. Initially in Snow Lake, they were displaced again after both Snow Lake and their home community of Denare Beach, Sask., were evacuated. Their home was destroyed by the Wolf wildfire on June 2.
Hritzuk said the couple is coping well and has received support from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and insurance providers.
Back in Creighton and Flin Flon, structures have so far been spared. Hritzuk is hopeful the danger has passed thanks to recent weather and the tireless work of firefighting crews.
“To the communities in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba who have sent manpower and commitment to battle the fire—we see you and can’t thank you enough,” she said.
