When The Smoke Clears...

The first two photos are credited to CTV

 

Hi!

So, right now, in several regions of Canada, wildfires are out of control. People have been evacuated, smoke is prevalent and far-reaching, and the fight is far from over.

The heat and flames continue to chase the wildlife from their safe spaces into the unknown, inevitably putting them in harm's way. 

Firefighters, the military, and volunteer citizens are doing everything they can to stop this monster from consuming any more land. It seems like an impossible battle, but battling remains the only choice. 

Fire is a greedy enemy without conscience, without discretion, without remorse. There is no cease-fire in this kind of war. This enemy never rests, it is greedy and is driven by perpetual hunger.

So to those who are in the path of this beast, can taste its breath, and feel the rhythm of its soul,  please take care. If you are being asked to evacuate for safety, please do. No matter how important to you, no matter how hard you worked to create the life you have, physical belongings will never be worth your life. I can't imagine how hard it must be to drive away from your home, not knowing if it will be there when you return. I know I'm not alone when I tell you my heart aches for what you are going through. 

To those who are trying to turn the cause of this tragedy into something political by sprinkling your conspiracy nonsense all over it, just stop. The situation is stressful enough without you pulling gullible people into your crazy. Although the experts believe about 45% of the current burn has been caused by human carelessness, there is NO evidence that this is some co-ordinated anything by anybody. It just isn't. So just stop it. Trying to pit people against other people when the real war is between people and the fire is simply wrong. Period.

To those who are fighting the fires... this list includes the official firefighters, the pilots, the plane mechanics, the volunteers, the companies donating equipment, the data trackers... all of you... Although the biggest Thank you feels absolutely inadequate, it's all I can do from where I am. I am in the process of finding out the best ways to do more with donations etc. I sincerely wish I had the resources, power, and/or influence to do more. Please take care. 

When the smoke clears, hopefully, the damage done can be repaired, and people will have intact lives to get back to. The recovery from something like this must be incredibly hard, how could it not be. Canadians tend to be resourceful, resilient, very community-minded, and the ability to work hard is simply part of our DNA. Recovery is not a matter of if, it's just a matter of when. 

In the meantime, if you are willing and able to donate please get in touch with your local government official's office to find out the best way to do so from where your are.