Peers wildfire evacuees return home, elderly couple saves prized petunias – Edmonton [Video]

People from Peers were allowed to return home, five days after being ordered to evacuate the hamlet west of Edmonton due to a wildfire just a kilometre south in Yellowhead County.

The January Creek wildfire started on the west side of Highway 32 and crossed over onto the east side on May 29.

But some residents didn’t all get the memo to flee last Thursday night.

Glen Berkholtz, 84, doesn’t have a cellphone that sends push emergency alerts and didn’t realize there was an evacuation order.

He stayed home overnight with his wife Ruth, and the next day woke to realize it was eerily empty in their community.

“I looked around a little bit and I couldn’t really see anybody being home,” Glen said. “So I said, ‘We better pack up and get out of here,’ so that’s what we did.”

The Berkholtz went to their son’s house — but didn’t leave without …