Local businesses step up for fire relief in High Level

HIGH LEVEL, Alta. ― The local Home Hardware Building Centre and Co-op Cardlock are among businesses remaining open to serve firefighters after residents evacuated this northern Alberta community earlier in the week. The mandatory evacuation order was issued as the wildfire reached within five kilometres of High Level. The town’s Tim Hortons has become a hub for emergency workers, as well as serving as a pit stop for residents during the evacuation. We volunteered to stay, co-owner Leslie Snyder told CBC News. “We wanted to be here for as long as it’s safe.” She added that the franchise isn’t turning a profit: all drinks are being given away for free while food is being sold at reduced prices to cover costs.