River to safety: Evacuees forced from Fort Chipewyan, Alta., find relief in Fort McKay

As an out-of-control wildfire inched closer to the northeastern Alberta community of Fort Chipewyan, Dennis Shott spent the night leading evacuees to safety by water.

Shott led the first convoy of boats south along the Athabasca River, helping others navigate the turbulent river to the docks of Fort McKay, as smoke drifted through the dark. 

"Navigating the river, it's always moving sand," he said. "There were a lot of trees floating. You've got to watch." 

The Tuesday night voyage would be the first of many trips Shott would take, shuttling evacuees to safety. 

"Nighttime is very hard," he said. "Along the river, it was pitch dark and I had seven boats behind me. A lot of them said, 'Thank you.' It made me feel good. It made me proud." 

Shott is among a contingent of Fort McKay residents helping people from Fort Chip that have been forced from their homes.

When evacuation orders were issued Tuesday for Fort Chip, about 730 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, the boat launch at Fort McKay, a community of 800 about 60 kilometres from Fort McMurray, Alta., became a first port of call for people evacuating by water.

Fort Chip, isolated on the shores of Lake Athabasca, is accessible only by boat or plane after the winter ice road melts. Evacuees were instructed to wait for an airlift out, or make their way south by boat.

Many of them travelled on boats were piloted by people from the Cree and Métis community of Fort McKay, a four- to six-hour trip away. 

In an interview Friday, Ron Quintal, president of the Fort McKay Métis Nation, said there is a close kinship between the communities and his members are eager to help evacuees, who continue to arrive by boat.

"The reality is, the trip to get here is no small undertaking. I mean it's nearly 300 kilometres on the river," he said. "When they get here, there's a lot of anxiety. We just try to be a smiling face." 

Quintal said conditions on the river are challenging. Boats must push against the current, travelling for hours through thick smoke.

He said visibility has been so poor, some have been forced to tie their boats off and wait out the night on the open water, until the air clears.

"We just want it to be a support so that the leaders in Fort Chip who are fighting to protect their community don't have to worry about their members," Quintal said.