By Greg Bennett and Amy Woolvett
The Coast Guard
NovaNewsNow.com
Shelburne Fire chief Edgar Allison couldn’t say enough good about his firefighters after they put down a stubborn blaze near the town’s waterfront on Friday afternoon.
The call came in around 3 p.m. and when firefighters arrived at the historic Ann Street home, flames were shooting 10 meters in the air and black smoke rolled from the structure.
It was quickly determined that the occupants, an older woman and a teenager, had escaped. No one was injured but both were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
The smoke from the burning home was so thick that firefighters would seem to completely disappear as they flooded the home with water.
Despite the intense heat and smoke, Allison said fire crews made their way inside the structure and fought the blaze directly.
They were able to bring the flames under control within a half hour, but teams stayed on the scene for almost four hours rooting out hot spots in the walls of the building.
Chief Allison said high winds and the close proximity of other homes made it important to get the fire under control quickly.
“They did an exceptional job,” said Chief Allison. “They hit it hard and fast.”
While the house was a complete loss from fire, smoke and water damage, Chief Allison said there was enough remaining of the structure that Shelburne Fire Department investigators and RCMP should be able to determine a cause.
“We’ve still got to investigate it,” said Chief Allison, who noted that an initial look at the scene pointed to a start near a small wood stove.
Chief Allison said the house was insured and that members of the community were reaching out to support the family in their time of need.
The fire saw Shelburne firefighters joined by paramedics, RCMP and Nova Scotia Power personnel as well as several other Shelburne County fire departments that were called in to assist in mutual aid calls during the blaze.
