A young pregnant woman and her boyfriend are among 115 tenants still displaced by Saturday’s fatal fire in Dartmouth, and it could be at least six weeks until they can return home.
The fire at 81 Primrose St. claimed one life and sent a second person to hospital.
Hannah Harding, who is 10 weeks away from giving birth to her first child, was among those evacuated from the building.
“We don’t know if we’re going to be back in the unit in time for when she’s born,” Harding said.
“We don’t know if we can take donations for baby stuff. We don’t know what to do. We’re in limbo.”
READ MORE: Red Cross closing emergency shelter for Dartmouth fire, 115 tenants still displaced
Northview REIT, which owns the building, has offered units in their other buildings for tenants who wish to stay there temporarily. Harding and her boyfriend have just moved into the new unit, but they’re without their furniture and most of their belongings.
“Right now, we’re in an empty unit,” she said.
“We’ve had some family members help with money so we can get an air mattress but it’s not something a pregnant woman should sleep on.”
The couple plan on re-entering their home this weekend, when authorities will be escorting tenants for short periods of time to gather some belongings.
WATCH: Officials comb through debris to find origin of fatal Dartmouth fire
Harding says the experience has been stressful, especially since her pregnancy is considered high risk and the baby may be born early.
She’s thankful for the assistance from friends and strangers, however, and plans to share what she can.
Halifax investigators have not yet released the cause of the fire. The building’s owner has said they will likely rebuild.
- ‘Shock and disbelief’ after Manitoba school trustee’s Indigenous comments
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- Several baby products have been recalled by Health Canada. Here’s the list
- ‘Sciatica was gone’: hospital performs robot-assisted spinal surgery in Canadian first
Comments