Burst pipes, house fires leave 18 people displaced in N.S., N.B.

More than a dozen people across the Maritimes were displaced from their homes Saturday as residential fires and burst pipes kept fire crews busy on the coldest day of the year.

All 18 people are being helped by Canadian Red Cross volunteers with emergency shelter and meals. In some cases, volunteers are helping with purchasing necessities like clothing and other basic needs.

In Notre-Dame, N.B., three adults and one child were displaced after a fire that destroyed a house along Route 115.

In Moncton, two adults from two apartments in a 24-unit building on Bliss Street were forced to evacuate due to frozen pipes bursting, resulting in water damage in the units.

In Saint John, a family of seven was forced out of an older four-storey building on King Street East after burst pipes and flooding caused the electricity to be cut.

Meanwhile in Nova Scotia, two adults were displaced from an Amherst mobile home along Woodlawn Drive. The mobile home was heavily damaged by fire after a propane torch was used to thaw frozen water pipes.

In Dartmouth, three adults were evacuated from a six-storey complex on Nova Court due to water damage from burst pipes affecting two apartments.

According to the Canadian Red Cross, no injuries were reported from any of the incidents.