Funeral home damaged by fire in Hampton, N.B.

HALIFAX -

A funeral home in Hampton, N.B. was extensively damaged in a fire early Thursday morning.

The smell of smoke was still lingering in the air outside of Reid’s Funeral Home in Hampton, on Thursday afternoon, hours after an early morning fire broke out at the business.

It was at approximately 3 a.m. when a passer-by called 911 to report that flames were coming through the roof of the funeral home, located on Main Street – and when firefighters arrived on scene that’s what they were met with.

“I knew then that we were in for a battle,” said Hampton Fire-Rescue deputy fire chief Mike Raeburn. “This whole building is like five buildings converted into one, so there are double walls and there’s all of that stuff you have to deal with.”

There were about 60 firefighters in total from four different fire departments who responded to the call and were able to get the fire knocked down in about an hour, but the building itself is believed to be a total loss.

In a statement, Reid Funeral Home owner Dyson Regular said while the extent of the damage has not been determined, "there was no harm to anyone resting at the facility," and that all the urns stored on the premises awaiting burial were rescued.

“The most important thing for us to get out was those items we felt they’re not replaceable, that were valuable to our families,” said Regular. "We made sure and got those out and got them secured ASAP.”

“That’s the first thought when you hear on the radio, Reid’s Funeral Home,” adds Raeburn, “You’re going, 'let’s hope there’s nobody laid'...for the family, that would be devastating, to lose a member and then lose them in a fire again.”

Regular also says that records of services preplanned with Reid’s are stored electronically and are safe.

The funeral home says anyone requiring services in the coming days will be cared for as the business also operates facilities in two nearby communities.

The investigation into the fire is still in its early stages so there’s no word yet on what caused the fire, however Raeburn says it’s not believed to be suspicious.

Regular says the next step for them is to work with their insurance company.

Reid’s Funeral Home has been in its Main Street location since the 1960s, but the business dates back to the mid-1800s in the community.