One man is dead after a fire swept through a home in a small Nova Scotia community on Friday evening, the second deadly house fire in the province in a week.
Firefighters from multiple departments battled the blaze in Hants County for several hours during a winter storm that created slippery, challenging conditions.
Much of the home was engulfed in flames when crews arrived shortly after 5:30 p.m., said Ryan Richard, chief of the Brooklyn Volunteer Fire Department.
“Fire crews made entry through two different entry points into the home and were met with extreme heat conditions,” he said in an interview.
Despite the heat and flames, he said firefighters launched a “quick and aggressive” search of the home and contained the bulk of the fire.
Firefighters located a man’s body in the St. Croix home, Richard said.
The deadly blaze comes a week after a house fire on the province’s South Shore early last Saturday morning claimed the lives of a woman and three children.
The office of Nova Scotia’s fire marshal is investigating both fires with help from police and firefighters.
Crews were on the scene in St. Croix until about midnight, Richard said.
“It was a very stubborn fire because it was a mobile home on a full foundation and it had an addition, which made fire suppression very difficult for crews because of double ceilings,” he said.
Fire crews had about 10 pieces of fire equipment, or apparatuses, on the scene, including pumpers, tankers and a rescue vehicle, Richard said.
Local RCMP, power crews and ambulance also attended the scene along with firefighters from both Brooklyn stations, Hantsport, Summerville, Windsor and other firefighting departments from further afield, he said.
Bystanders at the scene informed firefighters that the homeowner had two cats. Although it was initially thought the cats may have perished in the fire, Richard said officials discovered fresh prints in the snow outside the charred out husk of the home on Saturday.
“We did notice some fresh cat tracks in the snow today, so we’re hopeful both got out.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2022.
Comments