So far it looks like the vast majority of area residents have escaped the wildfires without suffering serious property damage. Sadly that’s not true of everyone. It’s been confirmed that four homes were destroyed on the fringes of Drayton Valley. Further north, Pembina River Tubing was completely destroyed by the fire in Parkland County.
Pembina River Tubing was established in 2007 and offered visitors the opportunity to enjoy a day of fresh air and fun on the river. When the fire hit last week Cheryl Harris watched the business she and her husband Dan had built go up in smoke.
“Thursday early afternoon I was in Evansburg picking up some supplies and saw the Evansburg fire start up again,” she said in an email. “The wind was crazy strong. I saw the smoke again with the Parkland fire and started to organize our personal items better.”
The following day Harris made a trip to the store and then tried to relax. She was able to monitor the business property through its security cameras.
“2:30 pm I saw the fire close to the property on the south side. I knew it was going to be finished. Nothing was stopping this monster this time,” she says.
Aircraft dropping water and retardant tried to hold the flames off, but the wind proved too strong. As Harris continued to watch, the inevitable happened.
“From the east camera I saw some bad smoke. That was the one that would take out the rest of the property. I could do nothing but watch. Then at 3:30 pm the cameras stopped transmitting and it was all over but the crying.”
Once it reached the property the fire took out the general store, the security cabin and the rental booths, along with all the tubes and life jackets.
Since then Harris says she’s heard from numerous people who’ve told her how much they’d enjoyed their experience on the river and the service Pembina River Tubing offered.
“We are glad we are safe, but everything we had built from 2007 to now is gone. Time to reinvent our business and move forward,” she says. “Thank you Pembina River Tubing for all the memories you gave us.”
But the story doesn’t end there. Harris says in spite of everything, she and her husband will find another way to help keep customers coming back to enjoy the river. She’s glad firefighters were able to save Entwistle itself from the flames that threatened the community for several days.
“Our community will have a lot of stories to tell and we will spring back as best we can,” she says. “We will come together as never before and reinvent what we do.”
