2021-03-10

Woman temporarily displaced after fire damages her Middle LaHave home

No one was hurt but a woman is temporarily displaced after her single-story bungalow in Middle LaHave was damaged by a fire that broke out February 24 in the bathroom area.

Disaster assistance volunteers with the emergency social services charity, Canadian Red Cross, "arranged emergency lodging for the woman," agency spokesman, Dan Bedell, told LighthouseNOW in an email. "She did not require help with other things we might normally offer like funds for clothing and food purchases."

Volunteer firefighters were dispatched to the Highway 332 home, near the Grimm Road intersection, around 10:20 a.m.

First-arriving emergency responders found smoke emanating from the roof-line at the back of the house and from an open window, said Dean Schmeisser, Dayspring's deputy fire chief. While the alarm was in the Riverport volunteer fire department's district, Schmeisser was put in charge of dealing with the incident.

Responders were met with flames showing inside the home, but the fire near the bathtub was knocked down quickly, Schmeisser told LighthouseNOW. The bulk of the damage, described by Schmeisser as "extensive," was contained to the bathroom, but a "minor" bit of fire spread to the basement area.

The home, which is insured, also sustained smoke and water damage and, at the time of this writing, wasn't immediately habitable.

The fire started in the home and was discovered by a person working on the property.

Several volunteer fire departments worked the scene, amounting to about 20 personnel on site and about nine trucks. The trucks were mostly water tankers as there isn't a hydrant system in the area.

Paramedics were on scene temporarily in case medical help was needed. A power utility vehicle arrived to disconnect the electricity for safety reasons, a common step requested by responders dealing with structure fires. The RCMP helped with motor vehicle traffic control in the area.

The cause of the fire is classified as undetermined, but Schmeisser felt it'll be considered accidental in nature based on his observations, which he declined to detail. The matter involves "no criminal activity whatsoever," he said.