Lee Ann Beatty and her family were finally able to relax after arriving in Canmore, Alta., on Saturday. They lost almost everything they owned after the Eaton Rapid Fire destroyed their home in Altadena, California.
Leigh-Anne, who grew up in Edmonton but moved to Los Angeles to pursue a film career, says the flames were barely visible at first.
“I just noticed out the window, just a little flash of light,” Leigh-Anne told Global News. “It would have been like a candle on a cake.”
Lee Ann’s husband, Denton Beatty, had gone out to buy batteries, as the local utility company had cut off power to homes in the neighborhood. He added that by the time he returned home, the flames had gotten too close.
“It’s gone from this little blip, you know, on the other side of the hill, to what’s roaring in these winds now,” he explained.
LeeAnne and Denton quickly began packing what they could, while Denton’s mother – who was visiting from Florida – kept their two young sons calm.
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From the moment they first noticed the fire until they got into the car to escape the rapidly approaching massive flames, only 14 minutes had passed.
They chose to drive across town and stay with friends. Other people they knew who lived nearby offered to stay as well, but Denton said he knew that wouldn’t last long.
“They were very nice and said, ‘Okay, come stay with us, we have a suite downstairs,'” Denton said. Four hours later, their house was gone.”
Beatty’s family then stayed in a few hotels that were hosting people who had fled the fires. While there, they were able to sort through donations to store more clothes.
Lee Anne said the kindness shown by strangers was sometimes unbelievable. She recalled that one of the women brought them a bag full of gifts for their children after learning that it was one of their recent birthdays.
Denton returned to their house a day or two after he left to see what was left, and to see if anything had been salvaged.
“The smoke was still going, and everything was completely burned to the ground, except for a couple of chimneys standing there,” Denton said.
Although Leigh Ann moved to Altadena 19 years ago, she and her family return to Canmore regularly to visit her mother and enjoy the scenery.
While they wait for matters like insurance to be settled, they said they plan to return to Altadena as soon as it is safe and they can find suitable accommodation.
“I think that’s what it’s about. We landed (Saturday) and got a good night’s rest,” Leigh-Anne said. “Now we’re hoping to get that sleep back, and then open our laptops to see what’s next.”
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