Garry McRae was hanging out in Abbotsford with some of his pets Thursday when he spoke to The News about his flight from Fort McMurray.
He decided it would be a good time to take a vacation trip back to the Clearbrook area – where he grew up – after he rescued his three dogs and three cats and fled the fire-ravaged Alberta city.
To retrieve his pets, he said he drove his four-wheel-drive pickup through the back woods to get around a police roadblock.
Rather than try to stay in a shelter which wouldn’t allow dogs and cats, McRae decided now would be a good time to revisit family and friends in Abbotsford and Langley.
“I haven’t had a holiday in years,” the professional truck driver said.
His luck has been both good and bad; his two Fort McMurray properties appear to have escaped fire damage, and his insurance company quickly sent him a cheque to cover his costs as a displaced person.
But one of his cats ran away in Abbotsford during his visit.