Family escapes fire that destroyed Upper Sackville home

A two-storey home in Upper Sackville was destroyed in a fire Tuesday evening, the first of several calls that kept Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency crews busy overnight.

Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum said firefighters were called to a serious blaze on Sackville Drive around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. 

Meldrum said the family had safely evacuated the house.

The fire was severe and had travelled up into the roof, so it was not initially safe for crews to enter, he said.

The home was in what's known as a "non-hydranted area"  — meaning there are no fire hydrants  — and so seven tanker trucks were brought to the scene, as well as two fire engines and one ladder truck.

Water for the tankers was collected from the nearby KOA Campground.

"We did get into the home once conditions permitted and they did manage to find pets  — two dogs and a cat  — and put them safely in the hands of their owners," Meldrum said in a phone interview Wednesday morning.

Meldrum added that since he was not on scene, he wasn't sure if those pets were found inside the burning home or around the outside of the home.

He said the cause of the fire is under investigation and his heart goes out to the family.

"It's always very hard to see the loss of property and homes and the things that are meaningful to us," he said.

Other fires in Herring Cove, Westphal

Crews were called to another fire at a two-storey home around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday on Ketch Harbour Road in Herring Cove, N.S. 

Meldrum said the fire started outside of the home but travelled inside. Crews were quickly able to bring it under control and no one was injured.

He said the cause was determined to be the improper disposal of smoking materials.

Meldrum urged people to be very careful when butting out cigarettes and other smoking materials, especially given the time of year, when there are leaves surrounding properties.

"It's becoming exceedingly common. People have the metal cans outside that they think are safe, but when that dries out those butts can blow around," he said.

"Move that stuff away from your home."

He added that carelessly discarded butts can smoulder for a long time before igniting.

About an hour and a half later in the Dartmouth community of Westphal, crews were called to a two-storey home for a small fire outside the home. That fire was extinguished by the homeowner and no one was injured.

Crews were also called back to a two-storey business on Thorne Avenue in Dartmouth Wednesday morning after a fire reignited. There was a blaze in the attic of the business early Tuesday morning, but hidden embers had caused flames to spark back up.

Meldrum said it was a busy night for the fire service, but none of the calls were connected in any way.