Ely native publishes first-person account of 2007 fire

THE
ELY
Section 1
ECHO/Page 5
SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011
Ely native publishes first-person account of 2007 fire
by Curt Nettinga
this book and the stories it tells.
Editor, Hot Springs Star
“The stories are so good!”
HOT SPRINGS – In the early Goulet exclaimed enthusiastievening of July 7 of 2007, weath- cally. “The people I talked to
er factors aligned to create the were so open and so honest in
perfect environment for a natural sharing their experiences.”
disaster in the Southern Black
“Cascade,” which draws its
Hills of South Dakota.
title from the highway that runs
High temperatures, low hu- through the affected burn area
midity, tinder-dry grass and trees does more than look at the night
all played a part in what became of the fire and the aftermath.
the Alabaugh Canyon Fire south Goulet also explores the hows
and west of Hot Springs. One res- and whys of the people in the
ident died, two firefighters were stories and what brought them
burned, 50 buildings, including to that place at that time.
33 homes were also burned.
“I guess it started with us,”
Ely, Minn. native Mary Gou- Goulet said of her idea to write
let and her husband Bob Lee the book. “It was just so strange,
were among those who lost their there were many different issues.
home and nearly their lives over Whether a building survived or
the night.
was destroyed in many cases
Goulet, with help from “many, depended on which way the wind
many volunteers,” has just pub- was blowing at the time.”
lished “Cascade of Flames,” a
Goulet hatched the idea at a
collection of stories from the picnic for the Alabaugh survipeople who lived the nightmare vors, but had to set it aside for
of the Alabaugh Canyon Fire.
several months. “It was too close;
This is Goulet’s second book. I had to stop,” she said. “I started
Her first, “A (not so) Simple Life,” again in earnest in February of
was published by Singing River 2008, about seven months later.”
Publications in Ely.
What started as a way of
On Sunday, Dec. 19, Goulet saying thanks to the firefightand Al Stover, her technical ad- ers who battled the blazes and
visor, hosted a book release and saved many structures, became
signing at Pine Hills Retirement much more when she began
Community in Hot Springs.
interviewing.
The
For some of the contributors
“I love the interviews,” she
Minnesota
in attendance, it was the first
time said, “but I really didn’t know
they had seen each other since where the book was going. One
they first met during the fire.
story led to the person saying,
Talking with Goulet it is ‘You know, you really need to
quickly apparent that she is pas- talk to so-and-so.’ I started down
sionate and enthusiastic about a path that had many branches to
follow.”
Goulet and Lee had designed
their home on the east side of
Cascade Road and Lee had
built it over the course of eight
years. “We had a housewarming
for the recently completed first
floor two weeks earlier,” Goulet
remembered.
The fast moving fire required
that most, if not all of the residents along Cascade Road to flee
their homes. One of the positives
that came from the disaster, was
that the Hot Springs community
and the Southern Hills came together to provide assistance for
the displaced home owners.
“Cascade of Flames” includes
30 different first-person accounts
of the Alabaugh Canyon Fire.
Many of the photos included
were provided by the firefighters
on the scene. Several of them also
shared their stories, as did many
homeowners.
“This book is really about
those people’s stories,” Goulet
said. “At my core, I am a storyteller; I love to hear the stories.
And all these stories are true, in
the people’s own words. That’s
why I did it.”
Completing the book became
so important to Goulet that she
put in writing that her editors
would finish it if anything happened to her.
“This helps in the healing for
those of us who went through
this,” Goulet said. “I also think
it can help other people, people
who have had tragedy thrust upon
Mary Goulet, the author of the Alabaugh Canyon fire book “Cascade of Flames,” visits with
Northern
2x2 & 2x4 ads to run ONE TIME,
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fire fighterthe
- andweek
technicalbeginning
advisor for her book
- Al Stover at a special open house for those
connected with the book. In the foreground is Dale McMillin, the leader of the communica218
tions team during the fire and a contributor to the book as well. Photo by Hot Springs Star
them, over which they have little
control.”
Goulet’s book is available on
line at Amazon.com.
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CORRECTION:
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC:
The City of Ely is calling for interested applicants
to fill the following vacancies on various City
Boards, Commissions, Committees:
ELY AIRPORT COMMISSION
3 – three year terms
* City or Non Resident
Letter of application (to include résumés) should
be filed with the Clerk-Treasurer, 209 E. Chapman Street, Ely, MN prior to 4:00 p.m., Friday,
January 7, 2011.
EE 12/18/2010
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ely Pool league
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FOR SALE: 2000 Ford F-150
Super Cab 4x4. Can be seen
at 100 block of White Street,
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MN YOUTH SNOWMOBILE
SAFETY TRAINING CLASS IN
ELY JANUARY 6 & 8
The Ely Igloo Club will be offering a Youth Snowmobile Safety Course on
January 6 and 8. This course is for youth ages 11-15. Students age 11 will
not receive a certificate until they turn 12. There is a $5 fee payable to the
DNR. Students must provide a self-addressed stamped long envelope to have
their certificate mailed to them.
ALL STUDENTS MUST PRE-REGISTER IN ORDER TO TAKE THE
CLASS. THE CLASS SIZE IS LIMITED TO 30 STUDENTS.
STEP ONE: Youth age 11-15 must first complete the self-study Minnesota
Snowmobile Safety Training CD and print out the Voucher of Completion
certificate and bring it to the first class. This is mandatory. Last day to preregister and pick up the CD is January 3.
STEP TWO: Attend the classroom session to be held at the Washington
Elementary Media Center on Thursday, January 6. Registration at 5 p.m.
Class time is 5:30 p.m. and will last approximately until 9:00 p.m.
STEP THREE: Following the CD course and classroom instruction, the
youth must then complete the field course. This will be held on Saturday,
January 8 at the Longbranch in Winton starting at 9 a.m. Snowmobiles will
be provided by the Club.
For information and to sign up for the classes, contact
Mark Lindgren at 365-0838 after 5 p.m. He will provide
you with the materials needed, including the CD.
Nor
2