Canadians who escaped the mayhem in Vegas are arriving back home with horrifying stories of fear and desperation.
And for an Ottawa firefighter in lockdown at the Las Vegas airport, there was a sense of helplessness he couldn't aid his fellow first responders.
Las Vegas is a “go-to” destination for thousands of Ottawa area residents to get away and have fun; celebrate birthdays and take in country music festivals.
But for those visiting Vegas this past weekend, it has left them shaken and scarred.
The welcome home hugs at Pearson’s International Airport in Toronto are the "wrap-around, can't let go" type. And, after what these folks have seen, it's needed.
“You're dodging a bullet,” says one woman, “literally dodging bullets, hundreds of them.”
“You could tell from the shock,” explains another woman, “that they had lost someone, they didn't know where they were, they were just running.”
“It was terrifying because we were told there were multiple shooter,” says a third, “that there were bombs. We had no idea. It was terrifying, absolutely terrifying.”
Kim and Greg Hartle from Prescott were wrapping up three days of music with the final night at the route 91 Harvest festival. They had just moved to the back of the venue when the gunfire started.
“I heard a “pop, pop,” explains Kim to CFRA’s Evan Solomon, “I looked around and didn't think anything of it and then all of a sudden, I can't explain it was like “bam bam bam bam, mass gunfire and Greg said, “It's a gunman, Kim, run.”
Another couple, from Lindsay, Ontario, say the terror of the moment made them fear they would never see their children again, “And when music ended that's when we really realized and everyone just started running and screaming,” says Melissa Vanderloo.
“My heart is still pounding, my chest is still tight,” adds her husband Branden.
And the anguish still resonates with even seasoned first responders like Jim Andrews, a sector chief with the Ottawa Firefighters, in Vegas for his wife's birthday. Andrews was the voice of calm during that horrific Via Rail/double decker bus crash 4 years ago. His instinct Sunday was to help but he and his wife were under lockdown at the Vegas airport.
“As a first responder, your instinct is to render aid in whatever way you can,” Andrews explains, “but in a lot of situations, it is the wrong thing to do. You'll add to chaos; you’re just another person showing up on scene and first responders there don't know who you are. It's an understanding that sometimes not getting involved will make it easier for those whose responsibility it is.”
It is a responsibility that weighs heavily on those who lost loved ones in this tragedy on both sides of the border.