Canada

The things they couldn’t leave behind in Fort McMurray

A pillow left by a beloved grandfather. Documents, confirming one’s life. Here’s a look at what Fort McMurray residents decided they needed to save

In a matter of hours, Fort McMurray—a bustling Alberta city of nearly 90,000 people—emptied out, bowing to an untamed wildfire sprawling quickly through the brush. Some people only had a few minutes before voluntary evacuation suggestions became urgent mandatory orders. And so what Fort McMurray residents grabbed before they filed purposefully out through the ash-flecked air was an emotional sign of what mattered most.

Albertans shared with Maclean’s the items they managed to leave with—and the items that were left behind. See the portraits of those items here.

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