Sindy and Dion Schofield’s home suffered melted siding when the Long Lake wildfire reversed course and burned back toward homes on West Dalhousie Road Aug. 24. An open field is to the left of the house.Article contentSindy and Dion Schofield know they’re lucky to still have a home after the Long Lake wildfire churned through their neighbourhood, but they are trying to come to grips with how theirs is still standing while those of three of their neighbours are gone.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentTheir two-story, 78-year-old house was in the path of the wildfire when high winds blew the flames back toward West Dalhousie Road Aug. 24.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentSprinkler protection was set up in an attempt to keep 88 homes in the area from succumbing to the fire. All but three were saved.Article contentThe Schofields’ barn was consumed by the fire, and siding on their home is melted, but it’s still there.Article content“Everyone around us has a lot worse,” Sindy said Saturday morning.Article content“(The house) immediately to the right of us is gone, the next one to the right of us is gone, directly across the road from us is gone,” she said.Article content“The next closest houses to the left of us are more than a football field away, so we were right at the edge of the worst of the devastation, really.”Article contentTheir gardens are also wiped out.Article content Sindy and Dion Schofield’s house suffered melted siding when the Long Lake wildfire reversed court Aug. 24 and burned back toward homes on West Dalhousie Road. The damage was minor on this side of the house despite another home burning next door.Article contentArticle content“We grow our own food except for meat,” she said.Article contentThey were planning to tear down the barn and repurpose the wood so it was not as big a loss as it could have been, she said, but she knows there was smoke in the house and expects a lot of damage in that respect to non-solid items in the home.Article contentArticle content“We’re not complaining, we have four walls and a roof,” she said.Article contentThe side of the house that has more damage faces a field and not the property of the neighbour whose house burned.Article content“Fire makes no sense,” Schofield said.Article contentShe said it’s hard to feel lucky that their house is still there when their neighbours have lost everything.Article content“You hear about survivor’s guilt in tragedies and it’s usually about lives, but it can happen about houses too,” she said. “Having your neighbours devastated like that and you’re close to OK, it’s not a good feeling. They think you should be ecstatic, they want you to feel good because your house is still there, but it’s very hard.”Article contentWhen the wind shifted Aug. 24 and the fire started heading back toward the homes on West Dalhousie Road, she could see the change in conditions.Article content“‘That’s a hell of a lot of black smoke coming off that mountain,’ that’s what was going through our minds,” Schofield said. “We still didn’t really totally understand that it was coming right at our houses.”
‘Fire makes no sense:’ residents struggle with emotions as home survives Long Lake fire amid neighbours’ devastation
