‘Devastating amount of loss': Lac du Bonnet residents cope with tragedy
LAC DU BONNET — News of the deaths of two residents rippled through Lac du Bonnet Thursday, compounding the destruction of dozens of homes and the displacement of residents.
'It's just a tragic event,' said Glen Hart, a co-owner of Lake Like Powersports in Lac du Bonnet.
Hart and his business partner, Craig Becker, opened the store's parking lot for evacuees to stay in trailers on the property or store equipment.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Tracey Nurenberg, program coordinator for the Lunch Is On Us soup kitchen which serves soup and bread to vulnerable people every Tuesday and Thursday in the Lac du Bonnet Arena, made extra portions for evacuees, RCMP and emergency personnel.
The co-owners were rocked by the news of the deaths of Sue and Rich Nowell, who were well-known members of the community.
'It's a devastating amount of loss, and I think it's a shock realization of what's possible with Mother Nature,' Becker said.
Residents mourned the loss of the Nowells and comforted each another throughout the day at nearby campgrounds, the legion hall and restaurants in town.
Many were still waiting for word on the state of their home or cottage and what — if anything — remained.
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Volunteers quietly worked away in the Lac du Bonnet Arena kitchen Thursday morning as they prepared hamburger soup and buns for the local food program's biweekly pickup.
Lunch is On Us serves soup and bread to vulnerable people every Tuesday and Thursday and made extra portions for evacuees, RCMP and emergency personnel.
'We've had some people come in, but I think everyone is sort of frozen and waiting to see if they can go back to their houses,' said program co-ordinator Tracy Nurenberg.
For residents like Dorothy Gresham, she has no home to return to.
Gresham evacuated Tuesday morning with her three dogs and some medication, but had to leave most of her possessions behind.
'(My neighbour) bolted over and basically told me 'get the hell out,'' she said.
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Dorothy Gresham lost her family home in the Lac du Bonnet wildfire on Tuesday and has been staying at a friend's place.
Gresham has lived in the area on-and-off since she was a girl and was neighbours with the Nowell family. They lived across a field from one another and visited often.
She received photos and videos of her home Wednesday, which has been reduced to a foundation and charred land around it.
She had been fielding calls and messages since Tuesday from family, friends and strangers, including several during an interview with a reporter, checking on her well-being.
Gresham is staying at a friend's apartment in town and doesn't know what her future holds. Losing her neighbours hurts.
'That whacked me more than anything,' she said. 'You can fix a house, you can't fix… that.'
The town's clergy have offered counselling to anyone who needs it, RM of Lac du Bonnet Reeve Loren Schinkel said.
nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca
Nicole BuffieMultimedia producer
Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole.
Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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