C.B.N. community starts looking forward as forest fire restoration efforts continue
12 homes were destroyed by fire, says fire department chief
Days after a wildfire tore through the community of Small Point-Adam's Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove, residents are still dealing with shock as they try to move forward.
Roger Gillingham, chief of the North Shore Volunteer Fire Department, says all the fires are out and they're getting a sense of the damage to the community.
He says a total of 45 structures were destroyed by the fire, including 12 permanent and seasonal homes. The remaining buildings include outbuildings, sheds, and garages.
"The dangers with respect to the fire itself have been taken care of," he said.
Now, he says the community is concerned about the quality of drinking water, and the air quality.
"We can still smell that burn," he added.
As for the cause of the fire, Gillingham said it's still unknown. He said fire investigators have been to the town, but he hasn't heard anything from them yet, and isn't sure if he will.
He said around this time of year the department typically assesses the potential for bush fires and grass fires in the community.
"I don't think we ever dreamed that we'd see something like this," he said.
Phone services also went down in the community during the fire, impacting the fire department's pager system, which is used for essential communication during emergencies.
While services are still down for some homeowners, Gillingham says they were lucky that Bell was able to come to the town yesterday to repair their paging system.
In an emailed statement, Bell Public Affairs Manager Patricia Garcia told CBC News, "We now have the all clear to start restoration efforts to repair the extensive damage to our critical infrastructure caused by the forest fire."
Garcia said that the community's emergency services line was restored, and that their teams are working to restore remaining services swiftly and safely.
Community centre support
The town's community centre has become a hub of community support, says Broad Cove resident Wanda Crocker.
Crocker has been helping people at the Salem Community Centre since Wednesday. She says residents' who have lost their homes have had their most immediate needs taken care of, thanks to an outpouring of support and donations from the community and local businesses.
On Saturday, Crocker said Eastern Health and mental health support services were also at the centre to help people affected by the fires.
"Having this place to connect with people through this tragedy has been a real blessing."
Days after the fire started, the tragedy of what happened is starting to kick in for residents, said Crocker.
"This is starting to feel like really real," she said.
Some people have started fundraisers on the website GoFundMe, to support those who lost their homes.
Small-Point Adam's Cove mayor, Curtis Delaney, says the wildfire was a tragedy and has had a major impact on the community. But despite this, he says people have now started looking forward.
Some people are contemplating rebuilding their homes, he said, if they have the resources to do so.
"It's going to take months and years for Adam's Cove to return to even some resemblance of what it was," said Delaney.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Julia Israel.