Fort McMurray restaurant owner tries to help staff despite own devastation by fire

What started out as business as usual for Andy Parker and his staff turned into a harrowing escape from the flames of Fort McMurray.

Now, the owner of Prime Social Kitchen is trying to figure out how to help employees of a restaurant he's not even sure is still standing.

"I'm not worried about myself, I know I'll be okay," Parker said Friday afternoon from Edmonton."I have to make sure that the staff are the priority."

Parker didn't have a chance to go home before he and his girlfriend fled to the south. He doesn't even know whether or not his cat survived.

"If I actually think about it, I have nothing," he said.

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Reluctance to leave

When Parker arrived at work on Tuesday morning, it looked like the fire was receding. There was no evacuation order for his community of Timberlea, and Gregoire where the restaurant is seemed fine too.

But that all changed after lunch.

"At about 1:30 p.m., I'm told, 'Hey, you might want to take a look outside on the patio,'"recalled Parker, who has lived in Fort McMurray since 1999.

His girlfriend, Danielle, arrived as she was on her way out of town to go camping.

"She said, 'We have to go. The fire is coming. People are driving on the side of the highway, people are driving in the medians... We have to go.'"

Parker said his initial response was to stay put and help people. At the time, there was still no evacuation order in place.

"All of a sudden, the winds just changed and the next thing you knew, the entire community of Beacon Hill went up in flames.

As they drove out of Fort McMurray, the couple saw people driving into the city, trying to reach their pets, children and homes. They were some of the last people on the highway south of town and saw the fire jump the road right behind their vehicle.

"It was crazy to even get out," he said.

As he headed down to Edmonton, Parker started reaching out to his 48 employees, making sure they were safely evacuated and trying to figure out who had a place to stay.

The first two nights, they were housed at aRadisson hotel in Edmonton. Parker stayed at a friend's place on Thursday, and he says he has no idea where they are going to stay Friday night.

Insurance and payroll worries

Parker has business interruption insurance. But he could be waiting up to 48 hours to hear back from his insurer, anddoesn't know how much it will cover.

In the meantime, he says:"I'm doing what I can ... We've set them up with accommodations and meals."

But his resources are finite.

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"I had somebody send me a photo of their bank balanceit was 40 cents," Parker said. "I don't know where to turn. I don't know. We will continue to do whatever we can do, but I am one person who currently has no income as well."

The support from the community has been immense, Parker said. His food suppliers have told him not to worry about payments, and complete strangers have pitched in food, drinks,and money for hotels.

"The very first night we checked into the Radisson, there were 10 of us at that time and everybody was just so wrecked and emotional," he said. "The server comes up and says there's a lady around the corner, she's leaving, she wants to order a round of drinks for you and she's also picked up the tab."

"People started crying," he continued. "You're not used to being helped."

'Everyone wants to get back'

Parker heard from someone in passing that Prime Social Kitchen is destroyed, but he has no way to confirm that yet.

"I know the camera system has been down, so at best, the power's out," he said.

Regardless, he says wants to return to the city as soon as he can.

"Everyone wants to get back to Fort McMurray and bring it back to life," he said.

Listen to the Calgary Eyeopener and Edmonton AM on Monday to hear how Andy Parker has fared over the weekend.

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