NEWPORT STATION, N.S. — The tenants living in an apartment attached to a Hants County business have been temporarily displaced after a nighttime fire on Feb. 6.
Firefighters from Brooklyn, Hantsport and Windsor attended the 10 p.m. fire call on Bonnie Lane, which is in Newport Station near Irishman’s Road.
Deputy fire chief George Pineo, who was the incident commander, said the structure was a three-bay garage with an apartment above.
“The far-right bay, which would be the centre of the building, had flames coming from it,” said Pineo of what they witnessed when they arrived.
After making entry to the garage, they quickly got the fire under control.
“Once we got control of the fire in the main garage area, it had also extended into the second floor. We had to go up into the second floor and battle it there,” said Pineo.
“But the initial knockdown was 15 minutes from arrival.”
He said the fire could have been a lot worse if a neighbour hadn’t spotted the fire in its early stages and called it in.
The residents were out of town when the fire occurred. Pineo said the apartment received some smoke and water damage and they will be displaced while repairs get made.
“We had to make entry into the walls and ceilings. There will be some repair there that’ll need to be done,” said Pineo.
The fire department also rescued the family pet.
“There was one cat in the structure and one of our firefighters, Zoe Miller, brought the animal out,” said Pineo, noting the feline was in good condition.
As for the garage, one vehicle was inside, which Pineo said he didn’t think sustained much damage as it was located in the middle bay.
“For the garage portion, the one bay itself, the front side of it, the majority of it is gone. Pretty much everything in that front part was destroyed,” said Pineo, noting the rest of the structure was saved.
“I’d say 70 per cent of the building is fully intact.”
Wolfville, Greenwich and Summerville fire departments also provided mutual aid and were standing in at the local stations.
