CANMORE – “My name is Robert Clark but they call me ‘Farmer,’ ” Clark said as he sat down at Beamer’s Coffee Bar in downtown Canmore.
Wearing dark sunglasses and a yellow jacket with black stains, Clark explained how this is the coat he was wearing when he escaped the house fire in the 800 block of Larch Place on Feb. 21, which left the five people living there without a home.
“It was the rudest wake-up call of my life,” Clark said, explaining how he was in a deep sleep when he heard his roommate screaming at 2 a.m. and realized the house was on fire.
“I didn’t know anything – I was just grabbing stuff and black smoke was billowing in the house. It kind of looked like a snake, a big black snake slithering down the stairs.”
After “breaking the speed record for getting dressed” and taking what he could grab outside, Clark said he realized some of the people were not coming out of the house, including his brother, and made the decision to re-enter the burning home.
“Smoke was burning my eyes and my mouth – that’s why my jacket is black, it is stained from the smoke. I don’t want to wish this type of thing on anyone. And I was trying to pull my brother out and it was the scariest thing,” Clark said.
Canmore RCMP confirmed when officers arrived on scene around 2:25 a.m. three people were already outside the house with one person standing in the entryway of the house.
“There was nothing I could do, things were falling down ... my brother was inside and he was getting burned and I tried to drag him, but he is a 250 pound guy – I couldn’t do it,” Clark said.
“By the third time I went back [in the house] it was disgusting and my lungs were burning.”
Upon arrival, the RCMP officers learned there were two people still inside the house and assisted Canmore Fire-Rescue firefighters in rescuing the two men from the blaze.
Fire Chief Walter Gahler said a couple of minutes could have made a very
tragic difference.
“If Lisa didn’t have to go pee at two in the morning, things could have been a lot worse,” Clark agreed solemnly, referring to his roommate who first noticed the house was on fire.
Coming forward with his story two and a half weeks later, Clark said he wanted to share his side and let people know the fire didn’t start in the house.
“Everyone in town knows what happened – that spread worst than the fire,” Clark said. “Everyone keeps coming up to me and asking if I’m OK ... it left all five of us totally lost and in shock.”
Clark also came forward because of his empathy for his neighbours.
“I feel so bad for Kamila and those kids,” Clark said quietly, referring to Kamila Borutova who was also evacuated and displaced with her two children after the fire damaged her house next door.
“I haven’t been able to talk to her, or say it in person, but it sucks.”
Not being able to sleep since the incident, Clark said the only thing he is seeking now is closure.
The official fire investigation concluded earlier this week was unable to determine the cause of the fire, according to the fire chief.
“There’s just not enough evidence to conclude what the ignition source is,” Gahler said. “When the fire damage is to the point where all the evidence is destroyed, you can come up with an area of origin, but not initial cause.”
However, Gahler did confirm the fire originated in the RV next to the house.
“This has pretty much destroyed me. I’ve never been through anything like this before,” Clark said.
Over coffee, Clark mused about what might be salvageable in the house. He talked about his movie collection, estimating he had more than 2,000 movies; his paint supplies, along with his artwork – noting he was a cartoonist for the Canmore Leader back in the day.
“It’s just killing me not to know if there is anything still left there,” Clark said.
With everyone in the house displaced, Clark said he was fortunate enough to bunk at a friend’s house, with others from the home also taking refuge with friends and some in hotel rooms. He also wanted to say thanks to all the help he’s received from Red Cross and Victim Services, but Clark said he is most grateful that no one died.
“Can you keep this short?” Clark asked at the end of the interview.
“I just want people to know, it was nobody who lived in the house’s fault.”
