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ST. PAUL, Alberta (CNS) — As
firefighters fought to save Fort McMurray from a wildfire that threatened to
destroy the northern Alberta city, a bishop gave thanks that there had been no
loss of life.
St. Paul Bishop Paul Terrio,
whose diocese includes Fort McMurray, also said in a May 4 statement that the
city’s St. Paul Church is rumored to have been destroyed in the blaze that
forced the evacuation of the city’s entire population the previous day. There
were no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
Bishop Terrio said that with the
community still in shock from the damage in Fort McMurray, “Let us give thanks
to our Lord and God that, with some 60,000-70,000 people evacuated from the
community in a matter of hours, there has been no loss of life.”
“Really, this in itself
constitutes a major achievement,” the bishop said. “I want to thank and commend
all the security and firefighting services, the public authorities but
especially the good people of Fort McMurray. Once again, the people of Fort
McMurray have rallied together and reached out to help and protect each other.”
The entire neighborhood of
Beacon Hill appeared to be lost, according to local officials, while the fire
had spread to other neighborhoods. Officials said they feared the fire could
worsen.
Bishop Terrio said that as the
full extent of loss and damage becomes to be known, the whole community would
be called upon to help rebuild and resettle the city. The diocese planned a
second collection at all Masses May 7-8 as a first step for the relief effort
and to support all those who lost their homes.
“This fire disaster is a hard
blow at a time when Fort McMurray is already struggling under an adverse
economic situation,” wrote Bishop Terrio, noting the economic slowdown with the
worldwide drop in oil prices that has severely affected the local economy in
the heart of Canada’s oil country.
“But with our faith, our hope
and our love for each other, we shall, as a young local evacuee said on
Facebook last night, build a ‘better Fort McMurray,'” he said.
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