SLAVE LAKE, Alberta— Prince William and Kate saw burned-out cars, blackened trees and the remains of what had been family homes as they made a detour from their official itinerary on Wednesday to visit a Canadian village heavily damaged by a wildfire.
The stop in the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake, caught in an inferno in May, was an apparent effort to bring much-needed cheer to residents who face the daunting task of rebuilding.
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The royal couple, on their first official overseas tour since their April wedding, landed at the community’s airport and then boarded a bus with large windows for a tour of devastated neighborhoods.
The couple walked down a street, asked many questions, and even stopped to touch one demolished car.
“It is very, very exciting for our town and our community,” resident Shauna Fiddler said. “It will hopefully lift the spirits of many people who have had their spirits quite dampened.”
After about 20 minutes, the royal couple headed to a local college, where a crowd chanted “Will and Kate” and “We Love Slave Lake.”
The two waved briefly before heading inside to meet about 50 residents, who sat in plastic chairs at folding tables in the gymnasium. The duke and duchess stopped at each table to shake hands and chat.
They emerged for a walkabout to the delight of everyone.
Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee said there was no doubt the visit left a lasting impression.
“Slave Lake needed that and I have to thank the royal couple for taking that time,” she said.
More than 400 homes and businesses — about one-third of the town — were reduced to ash and debris when a wind-whipped forest fire swept through in May. The fire forced 7,000 people to flee in what was the largest evacuation in Alberta’s history.
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