'We’ll rebuild. I’ll never leave': Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation residents mourning but resolute

About 1,600 people evacuated from a First Nation in northern Alberta were still waiting to return Wednesday, but Sandy Goodswimmer already knows he's not going home.

"Everybody is saying, like, when do we go home? I can’t say that. I don’t have a home," he said, fighting back tears.

Goodswimmer vows to return to the community, but the house he shared with his wife Barb is gone, devoured by an out-of-control wildfire.

"It's hard to explain what a person goes through. The loss, and seeing your yard, your house is gone, the yard is there…it's terrible," Goodswimmer said.

The Goodswimmers are not alone in their grief.

About 45 buildings in the community have been destroyed, including the homes of several of their relatives.

"My kids moved all around me and they lost their homes. And we lost ours but we started with nothing. So we can do it again and I'm telling you everybody out there, don't give up. Like don't give up," Barb Goodswimmer said.

"I lost everything but I haven't lost this. I haven't lost my husband."

The fire was listed as 3,765 hectares Wednesday by Alberta Wildfire and the cause was still under investigation. Another out-of-control blaze was burning to the north of Sturgeon Lake.

Fire crews continued to monitor hotspots in the First Nation. They were also stripping land to create a fire guard.

The Goodswimmer's describe the loss of their home like a death in the family. But they are fighting to maintain a bright outlook for the future.

"You know, we build the foundation out of love and out of the ashes is going to come another home, other homes," Barb said.

"We’ll rebuild. I'll never leave. I’ll die here," Sandy said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Alison MacKinnon

A wildfire destroyed 45 buildings in Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in May 2023. (Alison MacKinnon/CTV News Edmonton)A wildfire destroyed 45 buildings in Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in May 2023. (Alison MacKinnon/CTV News Edmonton)