16-05-2025
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ex-MLA, city councillor Angus and his wife escape flames with little time to spare
A former MLA and Winnipeg city councillor and his wife fled from their home near Lac du Bonnet about two hours before it was destroyed by an out-of-control wildfire Tuesday.
John Angus and Janice Charko, who lived in the Wendigo Beach area near Lac du Bonnet, grabbed what they could and drove away.
'It was about 11 or 12 on Tuesday,' Charko said Thursday. 'A neighbour said, 'You have to get out.' No one knocked on our door.
'I took medication and dog food — of course, the dog comes first — we didn't even take clothes. We were out within 15 minutes.'
She has seen photos of what what used to be their home.
'The word is flattened,' she said. 'Everything is gone. There is a driveway and then there is nothing. We've lost all of our photos, our wedding photos, artwork done by family members, heirlooms passed down by John's mother and my mother. These things can't be replaced.'
'But the rest is just stuff, and we are safe. That's what really counts.'
The same fire claimed the lives of Sue and Rich Nowell, who also lived in the Lac du Bonnet area.
Charko said she knew the Nowells, who were longtime, popular members of the community.
Kevin RollasonReporter
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press's city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
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