Violet Dawn Foley never saw the beautiful nursery prepared by parents Mallory and Corey Foley because their townhouse and most of their Abasand neighbourhood burned the day she was born.
As firefighters sprayed the hospital exterior, she and her parents, masked against suffocating smoke, were loaded onto a city bus and evacuated to an oil workers’ camp hours north of the city. First-time grandparents Don and Susan Munro of New Glasgow followed behind in their truck with the Foleys’ two dogs and two of their own. Within minutes of arriving at the camp, the Foleys were deemed a medical priority and airlifted to Edmonton. The Munros stayed behind with no idea it would be days before they’d hold their granddaughter again.
Mallory, 26, and a North Nova Education Centre graduate, and Corey, who grew up in Westville and Truro, met working at Future Shop in New Glasgow and later went west in pursuit of better opportunities. They came home to marry in 2015 and by the spring of 2016 were awaiting their first child.
Her parents drove out, arriving just days before the baby. Mallory went to the hospital in labour on May 1 with fires burning outside the city. When her labour stalled, a C-section was performed early on May 3 and the tired family met their baby girl. With mother and baby settled, the Munros went home to get some sleep and Corey stayed at the hospital.
“By afternoon, the wind had changed suddenly and Corey got a call from my brother-in-law that the fire was heading toward our neighborhood and the road to our house was closing soon,” Mallory remembers.
Violet Dawn Foley never saw the beautiful nursery prepared by parents Mallory and Corey Foley because their townhouse and most of their Abasand neighbourhood burned the day she was born.
As firefighters sprayed the hospital exterior, she and her parents, masked against suffocating smoke, were loaded onto a city bus and evacuated to an oil workers’ camp hours north of the city. First-time grandparents Don and Susan Munro of New Glasgow followed behind in their truck with the Foleys’ two dogs and two of their own. Within minutes of arriving at the camp, the Foleys were deemed a medical priority and airlifted to Edmonton. The Munros stayed behind with no idea it would be days before they’d hold their granddaughter again.
Mallory, 26, and a North Nova Education Centre graduate, and Corey, who grew up in Westville and Truro, met working at Future Shop in New Glasgow and later went west in pursuit of better opportunities. They came home to marry in 2015 and by the spring of 2016 were awaiting their first child.
Her parents drove out, arriving just days before the baby. Mallory went to the hospital in labour on May 1 with fires burning outside the city. When her labour stalled, a C-section was performed early on May 3 and the tired family met their baby girl. With mother and baby settled, the Munros went home to get some sleep and Corey stayed at the hospital.
“By afternoon, the wind had changed suddenly and Corey got a call from my brother-in-law that the fire was heading toward our neighborhood and the road to our house was closing soon,” Mallory remembers.
Susan came to the hospital to be with Mallory while Don and Corey went back to the house to assess the situation, which had escalated to a voluntary evacuation. With heat and smoke intensifying, they grabbed baby supplies, medication and food for the dogs.
“I don’t know what was going through Corey’s mind, but he managed to get a few things that were important to us, including my wedding rings that I hadn’t been able to wear at the end of my pregnancy.”
By the time they got back to the hospital, it was about to be evacuated.
Corey left their truck, with a brand new baby car seat and stroller inside, in the hospital parking lot. On the way north to the camp, their cell phone died and they lost contact with the Munros.
“It was frightening, but I remember how wonderful the nurses and doctors were, and of course, they had children and homes and pets they were very worried about, too, but they carried on.”
After landing in Edmonton, the maternity patients waited hours to hear which hospitals could take which patients and eventually the Foleys were transported to Misericordia Hospital.
“We were there for three days and two nights and that’s when we learned for sure our house was gone. My brother Cory (Munro) and his wife drove eight hours from B.C. to be with us in the hospital. We were so glad to see them.”
Stranded at the northern camp, with only the clothes on their backs, the Munros were equally relieved to know the Foleys had family with them when they got the news about their home. Corey’s family had taken a chance they could make it south from Fort McMurray to Edmonton, though they did not anticipate how long or difficult the drive would be.
“Their home was not far from ours and it was gone, too, so we felt badly to hear that but they found us in the hospital and we all just focused on the baby to get us through.”
It was when they were allowed to leave the hospital that the concept of homelessness struck the Foleys hardest.
“You can’t take a baby home without a car seat and we had no car seat and no home. The hospital gave us a car seat and we went to a hotel in Fort Saskatchewan. By then Corey’s family had found us a playpen with a bassinet on top and that’s where our baby slept for the next while.”
On May 6, the highway south opened and with their gas tank filled at the camp, the Munros lined up as 25 cars at a time were directed south. They were on their way to Edmonton before the fire once more changed direction, reclosing the highway.
“Mom and Dad found us at the hotel and from there, we went to a campground and spent the next eight weeks in a campground full of people from Fort McMurray.”
The Foleys’ camper trailer, stored halfway between Fort McMurray and Edmonton, became their new home.
“Corey found a campground in Leduc where we could put two campers and we booked it for eight weeks. His family has a second home in Fort Saskatchewan and their camper was there so they brought it down and set it up for my parents.”
About three weeks after they were evacuated, a former co-worker of Mallory’s drove their truck to Leduc. Aside from being covered in ash, it was fine.
While in the campground, the Foleys made the decision to start over in Leduc, rather than return to Fort McMurray.
“With the smoke and the devastation, it just didn’t seem the place to bring a new baby. We’re still dealing with the rebuild of the house in Fort Mac, but we’re staying in Leduc and Corey is commuting to Suncor, working six days on and six days off.”
Retelling their story is, not surprisingly, emotional for Mallory.
“Until now, I hadn’t really stopped to try to put all the pieces together. It was pretty rough and I don’t know what we’d have done without family support, but we’re ready to celebrate our daughter’s first Christmas.”
‘I wanted to get to my baby and her baby’
Susan Munro has a kaleidoscope of memories of fleeing Fort McMurray.
“As we drove north, there were lots of people pulled over on the side of the road barbecuing and having a beer, waving to us as we passed. Many of us didn’t appreciate how bad the situation was. I thought we’d be back home the next day at the very latest.”
During the four days she and her husband Don were stranded at a northern camp, they and their four dogs were treated well.
“People were so kind. They could not have done any more for us.”
She remembers glimpsing Fort McMurray’s Beacon Hill district from the highway as they went slowly south.
“Through the smoke, we could see the ruins of homes and buildings.”
She was particularly touched by people lining the road south, offering water, gasoline and snacks.
Being reunited with the Foleys at a hotel is a moment she’ll never forget.
“I wanted to get to my baby and her baby and to finally see them was everything to us.”
During the eight weeks spent camping in Leduc and the following weeks helping the Foleys set up a new home, she marveled at the many stories of fortitude and kindness among people who had lost so much.
Perhaps the most dramatic memory belongs to her husband who briefly encountered a blaze as he tried to get from the Foleys’ home to the hospital.
“People were abandoning their cars and running so it was very congested. He tried another route that brought him very close to the fire. It was only a minute or two but he had time to wonder if he was going to see the rest of us again.”
Rosalie MacEachern is a Stellarton resident and freelance writer who seeks out people who work behind the scenes on hobbies or jobs that they love the most. If you have someone you think she should profile in an upcoming article, she can be reached at [email protected]
