Edson couple evacuates with 12 senior rescue dogs after latest wildfire

Raymond and Jo-Ann Pigeon can’t imagine they’ll be sleeping very well for the next little while.

The couple from Edson were forced to evacuate their home Friday night on little notice due to an out-of-control wildfire. It’s the second time they evacuate this spring.

The coming days will be filled with the uncertainties and discomforts associated with being away from home – exacerbated by the challenging wildfire situation.

BACKGROUND: Thousands evacuated from Edson for 2nd time due to wildfire

For the Pigeons, that’s taken one step further; they evacuated Edson – a town of about 8,400 people – with their 12 rescue dogs and will be sharing a camper with them until they can return home.

“We don’t get the bed, let’s put it that way. We get the couch,” Jo-Anne told CityNews from Niton Junction, east of Edson, Friday night.

“They’ll be curled up in a corner,” added Raymond. “They’re actually very good for being a pack of dogs. They are very well behaved.”

Senior rescue dogs belonging to Edson residents Raymond and Jo-Ann Pigeon. (CityNews)

The Pigeons rescue senior dogs once “people don’t want to look after them,” they said.

“Some are blind, couple are deaf,” said Jo-Ann. “We have a 15-year-old Newfie who’s got arthritis real bad. He’s half blind. And we have a couple old Shih Tzu Bichons with no teeth, and people don’t want to look after them. So we take them in, give them quality of life.”

Caring for those dogs made Friday’s evacuation that much more complicated.

“One dog at a time out to the car, put them in the car,” recounted Jo-Ann. “They all settled down. And then they all have to pant and cry and whine. It’s quite a chore getting them all out. And we still left two cats at home.”

Officials issued the evacuation order for Edson and parts of Yellowhead County late Friday. It all happened so suddenly, said Jo-Ann.

“I drive to Edmonton every day for parts, so by the time I got back the alert was there and it was only a caution alert,” she said. “Then all of a sudden the police are going, sirens through the houses, knocking on people’s doors, loudspeaker. So it’s fast, pack and out the door you go. So it’s crazy.”

Fire moving closer to town

Alberta government officials said the fire burning near Edson jumped fire guards and moved closer to the town. They warned there could be impacts to roads and highways if the fire crossed the guards and blocked evacuation routes.

An update from Edson officials Friday at 11 p.m. said live embers and flames were seen in Willmore Park, meaning the fire had crossed the river.

A Saturday morning update urged residents to “evacuate immediately” and reminded that emergency crews were busy with fire operations and would not be able to respond if people needed help.

The Edson area, about 190 kilometres west of Edmonton, saw four new fire starts on Friday.

“There’s so many firefighters out there and it’s just burning so fast that if I can see the orange out my living room window then I gotta go,” said Jo-Ann.

“It’s only six kilometres out. And then the ‘Shiningbank’ one is coming closer. It dropped Highway 32. It’s down on McLeod River.

“It’s crazy. It’s crazy.”

Most businesses in Edson, including gas stations, were closed Friday as thick smoke filled the air, with strong winds in the town itself.

Second evacuation of Edson

It’s not the first time the people of Edson deal with such a situation. The town was evacuated for three days in early May by another wildfire.

Then too, the Pigeons packed up their dozen dogs.

“Last time we evacuated to Hinton, we slept in the car,” said Raymond. “For two days with our dogs. You want to try that? Yeah, I’m still getting the kinks out of my body.”

Senior rescue dogs belonging to Edson residents Raymond and Jo-Ann Pigeon. (CityNews)

Jo-Ann feels officials jumped the gun when it came to removing restrictions in the area.

“The fire ban should never have been lifted ever,” she said. “Because quadders started going out.”

The couple felt the evacuation was handled better the first time around as there was more notice. The evacuation alert turned into an evacuation order far too quickly this second time, they said. Though Raymond felt the evacuation itself was more orderly the second time.

“I noticed the traffic was way better,” he said. “Last time, everybody was racing. You know whether they were scared, or ‘I want to be first’ or whatever. But there was some reckless driving at that time.”

Evacuation buses left Friday from three points in Yellowhead County and five in Edson. An evacuation centre was being set up in Edmonton’s Expo Centre.

In Niton Junction, a single gas station was still open Friday, with long line-ups of those looking to fill up before their drive east to Edmonton.

Saturday was the last opportunity for Edson and Yellowhead County residents to take scheduled evacuation buses to Edmonton.

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The Pigeons were not headed to Alberta’s capital however. Instead, they had friends help get their camper outside the evacuation zone, where they will wait out the order.

While they deal with the discomforts of sleeping in a camper with 12 dogs, they are left wondering what the immediate future holds.

“It’s like, what now?” said Raymond. “Are we gonna have a house when we go back away? We don’t know.”

“I just want to go and sit down and watch my TV.”

—With files from The Canadian Press