A Saskatchewan man says he’s counting his blessings after he and his family had to evacuate their home in Los Angeles last week due to wildfire
Samuel Tipewan is from Witchekan Lake First Nation, Sask, about 150 kilometres west of Prince Albert. He and his family live in Hollywood where he attends film school.
Several wildfires have engulfed the Los Angeles area since Jan. 7 due to dry weather conditions and strong Santa Ana winds.
One of the fires erupted in the Hollywood Hills neighbourhood on Jan. 8, just a few kilometres from Tipewan’s apartment building. Tipewan and some of his neighbors ventured to the top of the building to get a better view of the fire.
“We could see the fire and live action spreading quickly. And soon as we were up there, we got an alert on our cell phone saying mandatory evacuation for all this area, and we were right in that area,” Tipewan told APTN News.
“We didn’t want to be one of those people caught in the fire.”
Tipewan said the evacuation of his building was nerve-wracking.
“Everybody’s grabbing their stuff, running in the hallways. We only have a couple elevators, so those are constantly full. And I mean, just the pandemonium of it, seeing all the people’s fear it, it was contagious,” he said.
Non-profit helps Indigenous people fleeing the fires
Tipewan and his family received assistance from the United American Indian Involvement (UAII).
The non-profit is providing things like food, rides and medical care to Indigenous people impacted by the fires.
The organization helped put Tipewan and his family in a hotel room for the night.
Jordan McKay is UAII’s health and safety coordinator. He also happens to be from Saskatchewan and is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
He said the organization’s service members have been appreciative of the help.
“When the fires broke out, it was very scary, and we had to adapt really quickly,” he said. “”I think they’re just so thankful that someone is there to help them.”
McKay said he can personally relate to the fear and anxieties surrounding the fires.
“I’ve dealt with forest fires and wildfires and things like that kind of my whole life,” he said.
“Growing up in Saskatchewan, there’s fire season that you just have to get used to. So, I kind of knew what to do and what to expect. It’s just a whole other scale here, because you’re surrounded by millions of people, and it’s such a massive scale fire. It’s a bit nerve-wracking, but I have dealt with similar situations at a smaller scale back home in Canada.”
McKay said he’s not personally concerned about the fires at this point in time.
“I’m closer to downtown, and there’s 30 miles of concrete city between me and the fire. But it’s still, you know, raging on, and there still are communities that are having to be evacuated,” he said.
As for Tipewan, the fire near his home was contained and he and his family were able to return the next day.
However, the chaos of the fires, as well as poor air quality, led him and his family to decide to take a short road trip home to Witchekan Lake to visit loved ones.
“It opened our eyes to just let us remember what’s important in life and that’s our loved ones,” he said. “That’s where I’m at right now, is just processing it all.”
Firefighters are continuing to fight large fires in Eaton and Palisades which have killed 27 people and destroyed 12,300 structures.
