CTV’s Bruce Frisko receives notice to evacuate neighbourhood while anchoring newscast
Thousands of Nova Scotians have been waiting and worrying about their homes and neighbourhoods since wildfires began burning in the province on Sunday forcing mandatory evacuations.
Among them is CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko, who found himself on both sides of this crisis.
His experience began Sunday afternoon while producing and anchoring CTV News at 6.
“We noticed fire after fire after fire and then we got word of fires breaking out in Tantallon, which was immediately cause for concern because I live there.”
Bruce said the newsroom was monitoring the situation closely and was amazed at how quickly it was spreading.
“Then they started announcing evacuations, so I phoned home and alerted my spouse just so she aware,” he said. “And then we started getting alerts about evacuations and entire neighbourhoods were being told to leave and they couldn’t go back.”
Bruce was on the air at about 6:10 p.m. when an emergency alert said Highland Park was among the latest list of neighbourhoods being evacuated.
“It was a very odd feeling, sitting up there reporting on your own evacuation, which I wound up having to do,” he said.
“After work, you know, we met up, immediately tried to book a hotel, which was very difficult. The phone lines – most of them we found were jammed. The online booking system wasn’t working.”
Fortunately, Bruce’s colleague Liz Rigney offered to let Bruce stay in her newly-renovated basement suite.
“We’re so incredibly grateful to Liz, for doing that for us,” Bruce said.
“As for our house, we’ve been sort of monitoring the piecemeal information that we can find from people who are there. As far as we know, there’s been no damage in that particular part of the neighbourhood yet.”
Bruce is one of the lucky ones -- the Tantallon-area fire has destroyed 150 homes.
“I think our thoughts really need to be with them right now,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.