When a fiery explosion took the lives of two Babine Forest Products mill workers on the night of Jan. 20, 2012 and left 19 others injured, nobody was thinking of what the future would look like. All efforts were on rescuing survivors and getting them to the hospital.

Fifteen months later, with work underway to replace the destroyed mill, the town can take some comfort in knowing that its loss of a major employer wasn鈥檛 permanent.  A recent remembrance ceremony to mark the one year anniversary of the explosion showed that the community continues to mourn the loss of those killed, and to remember the pain of those injured.

April 28, 2013, is the National Day of Mourning remembering lives lost and injured in the workplace. Some of the injured workers took the time recently to talk about their experiences that night and of the months following.

Dirk Weissbach recalled he had just returned from a coffee break when the explosion tore through his workplace.

鈥淚 was blown back; my helmet was shattered from debris鈥� my safety glasses must have just melted away because I was told the heat was about 5000 degrees鈥� I could hear guys screaming for help but I didn鈥檛 know who it was or where it was coming from,鈥� Weissbach said. 鈥淚 could barely see and then the flames started to come. I thought I didn鈥檛 have much time.鈥�

鈥淚 had to get out or I would die here and I knew in my heart that I had to get home to my wife, Kathleen.鈥�

Weissbach later discovered that he had four broken ribs, a broken collarbone, damaged lungs and burns to his face. He continues to live under treatment by specialists for back pain.

鈥淥ur future is still uncertain,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure if I will continue to live here or move, or even what kind of job I will get. I鈥檓 still physically healing.鈥�

From the night of the explosion, through to when dressings were removed from Weissbach鈥檚 burnt face, and straight to this day, he credits his wife Kathleen for keeping him strong.

鈥淲ithout my wife, I don鈥檛 think I could have made it this far,鈥� he said. 鈥淣one of us would.鈥�

Ryan Clay, an 11-year employee of the mill, suffered severe burns to his face and hands that night. Heavy clothing worn because of the severely cold weather that evening saved him from even worse injuries.

Clay and his partner Brenna Johnson were together before the explosion, but the event clarified her role in his life. They are now engaged to be married.

鈥淲hen I was in there burning and trying to find my way out, she was my motivation to get the hell out of there,鈥� Clay said. 鈥淚 was able to get out of there pretty fast.鈥�

Clay said that his physical injuries have healed remarkably well. However, the emotional and psychological trauma of being involved in a workplace disaster remain with him.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long road, not only physically, but emotionally,鈥� Clay said. 鈥淓ven with these latest explosions in the States [Chicago and Texas], it鈥檚 still all you think about; people missing their arms and legs.  That could have been me.鈥�

Clay will attend Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops this coming fall for a waste water management program. Tuition for the 10 month program, as well as funds to help with the cost of living, will come from the workers compensation board.

It wasn鈥檛 easy getting to where he is now. Clay said the real turning point came when he was told that he wouldn鈥檛 have to go back to mill work.

鈥淭he biggest step for me in moving forward was when they told me I wouldn鈥檛 have to go back to the sawmill,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 worked in the mill for about 11 years and I just about burned to death in there. There鈥檚 no way I鈥檓 going back.鈥�

Syd Neville suffered severe burns to almost 30 per cent of this body, included terrible burns to his torso that are far from being healed.

亚洲天堂 heal differently from person to person. In Neville鈥檚 case, surgeons have only recently started the skin grafting procedures that some injured workers received much earlier.

鈥淢y torso is quite messed up,鈥� he said. 鈥淭wo weeks ago I had skin grafting surgery. A lot of guys get that done first, but with me they waited till it healed because it [the scarring] was so thick.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long road,鈥� Neville said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 tiring. I鈥檓 constantly in pain. It鈥檚 not a vacation to be off work for a year.鈥�

A lot of uncertainty remains for Neville. He doesn鈥檛 know when he will be healed enough to think about going back to work, and he doesn鈥檛 know what kind of work he will be able to return to or where.

Despite the uncertainty in his life, he said that life has to go on. He plans on marrying his partner Marley Bell this summer on Vancouver Island.

鈥淎ll I鈥檓 focussing on is healing and the wedding,鈥� Neville said. 鈥淚 would not have been able to do this without her. She has been my rock. We鈥檝e gone through it together.鈥�

It鈥檚 difficult, logistically, to constantly have to leave 亚洲天堂 Lake to get treatment in Prince George or Vancouver, Neville said. But he鈥檚 become more appreciative of the small town in the meantime.

鈥淚 grew up here but I didn鈥檛 really appreciate it as a teenager,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something special about these small communities, [in how] the community rallied together in support.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 appreciative of this community and everything it has done.鈥�

Recovery has not been easy and is far from complete. Not all injured workers wanted to discuss their recovery, either physical and emotional. It would also be misleading to suggest that there are no hard feelings remaining for the workplace that was the source of so much pain and trauma in the lives of workers and their families.

The comments made by here highlight the strength and support of family-ties and bonds with loved ones that have helped to carry them from that evening until today.

鈥淲e still have a stretch in  the road to recovery, but I know with the love and support of each other, we will get there,鈥� said Weissbach.

鈥淭here are two of my co-workers that didn鈥檛 have that same privilege.鈥�

Derek McDonald chose not to comment at this time, and Kenny Michell was unable to be reached for comment.