A few months after a fire decimated his home, Reeve of Stuartburn, Jim Swidersky, puts his efforts towards rebuilding his life.

On April 29, 2018, a fire raged through Zhoda area burning thousands of acres of brush and prairies, including Swidersky’s house.

Swidersky speaks on the severity of the blaze.

“There wasn’t anything left, it was such a hot fire, the contractor that was cleaning up my site said that in 25 years he had never seen a place that had literally nothing left”

Swidersky mentions the initial hopelessness at the situation claiming everything was incinerated, even his fire safes had either melted or popped open in the heat.

Currently living with family, Swidersky says he has spent recent months clearing the rubble from his old lot in order to make room for the new house he hopes to build on top of the ashes.

“Right now my main thing is to get my life back, get the house built and get back in it. That’s my main concentration”.

As of June 27, Swidersky was granted permission by the council for the RM of La Broquerie to move an RTM (Ready to Move) Home onto his old property. Swidersky hopes that these accommodations are temporary and that, eventually, he will be able to build himself a new home.