Stella Reddy's Story of Hope

“Earlier this week, an estimated 203 structures were confirmed to be destroyed in communities from Kingston to Northern Bay.”

Healing from trauma, including the trauma of a forest fire, sometimes means facing new layers of pain and uncertainty. This morning, I’m reminded of my own journey with complex trauma as I read about what’s happening on the Conception Bay North Shore. My heart breaks for all affected by these fires.

For more than three weeks, fire evacuees have been out of their homes, clinging to hope while waiting for answers. Now, some have learned they won’t have homes to go back to. That reality cuts deep — the loss is not just physical, but emotional, with the familiar safety of home replaced by a sense of instability and grief.

A briefing happens today with Premier John Hogan, Public Safety Minister John Haggie, Jamie Korab, Newfoundland Power’s CEO Gary Murray, and more. Community leaders gather to answer questions and offer support, striving to help families make sense of the devastation.

Technology even plays its part, as Newfoundland Power uses meter data to confirm destroyed structures. It’s staggering: 203 buildings lost between Kingston and Northern Bay. No matter how much you prepare, sometimes you can’t protect what you love most — a feeling all too familiar to many survivors of trauma.

Meanwhile, the firefighting efforts continue. Crews from Newfoundland, Ontario, the Canadian Armed Forces, and now British Columbia converge, showing the strength that can come from working together. Some fires are finally under control at Paddy’s Pond and Martin Lake, and access roads are reopening slowly, step by step. Even as recovery begins, some places remain closed: reminders that healing takes time and each day brings only a piece of what “normal” was.

To everyone affected, know your pain is valid. The uncertainty, frustration, and sadness — it all matters. As someone who has been through loss, I send a gentle reminder: ask for help when you need it, lean on each other, and remember healing sometimes means just getting through one more day.

I know the loss of everything you owned, including irreplaceable mementos, from the house fire I had in March 1991. I spent months afterwards looking for something that I no longer had. Healing is a process, whether it’s from fire, bullying, or anything that shakes the ground beneath your feet. Know that you are strong and with the help of all those around you, you will be okay.

Province Holding Live Wildfire Briefing This Morning | VOCM