Residents, neighbours and evacuees watched in awe, some in stunned silence, as Thursday's devastating fire ravaged the west building at Citadel Mews, a seniors' complex on the northeast end of St. Albert.
Hundreds of people lined the roadside and crowded into parking lots nearby – watching, filming, calling, live-streaming.
So many more saw the immediate danger unfolding and ran toward the burning building before fire trucks had arrived. From the moment the first flames were visible to bystanders, people rushed in to help.
They haven't stopped since.
Erin Ridge resident George Gilbeau, along with teens Ryken Glew, Jackson Brown, and Ethan Katicic, and several others, risked their lives to enter the building as the flames spread and ran through halls already filled with thick, acrid smoke. They made their way to each door, starting on the fourth floor, telling residents to get out, helping those who couldn't do so on their own.
Countless caregivers, presumably already tapped out by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, moved quickly to escort seniors to safety through hallways, across pedways, down stair wells, and out onto the sidewalk.
Bystanders rushed inside to lift wheelchairs down stair wells and help guide disoriented seniors out to safety.
Nearby businesses opened their doors to shelter evacuees, many still in pyjamas, so many without shoes. They were given warm refuge, and kindness; water, and a chance to call relatives.
Strangers showed up in droves with warm blankets and wrapped elderly residents still reeling from the chaotic mess unfolding before them. Many seniors quietly held the hands of these same kind strangers as they shivered together in the wind and watched the fire destroy their home.
Firefighters from St. Albert, Edmonton, Morinville, Strathcona, and Spruce Grove worked tirelessly, together, through the night to bring the blaze under control. Still others rushed in with carloads of water to keep them hydrated.
Building owner Greg Christenson and his girlfriend stayed up all night tending to elderly victims at the St Albert Inn.
It is rare for a structure fire of this magnitude to hit our city. Its devastation will be felt for years to come.
And so, too, will the warm embrace of our community.
Local heroes didn't just rush in the night of the fire.
In the minutes, hours, and days since it happened, helpers haven't stopped helping.
Grassroots-giving campaigns popped up all over social media; people filled carts, cars, and trucks with food, slippers, gift cards, and clothing for evacuees. Local businesses – so many it's tough to keep track – have offered assistance in the form of funds, free meals, clothing, creature comforts, glasses, hearing aids, a warm bed, and a safe place to sleep.
Many of the elderly residents affected by the Citadel fire have lost everything – their homes; the comfort of routine; connection to their neighbours and friends; whatever was left of their life's possessions, already whittled down to their most precious things; for some, their last memories in a place lived in together before life partners have passed on.
What they have gained, we hope, is the sense that their community cares. So much.
This city and its people will stop at nothing to make sure those in need are cared for.
We live in a place with a giant heart, and for that we should be thankful.
