Eyewitness accounts: A glimpse inside N.S. fire damaged neighbourhoods
A burnt metal frame of a trampoline offers a tiny trace of the young family who until Sunday, lived on Jenna Lane.
The Osbornes left in a hurry, like their neighbours, as a wildfire raged and embers jumped, sparking homes and trees on fire.
A burnt metal frame of a trampoline on Jenna Lane in Hammonds Plains, N.S. (Sarah Plowman/ CTV Atlantic)
That was Sunday evening. By Tuesday morning Danny Osborne had already seen the video of his home on social media. He knew it was destroyed.
When RCMP escorted Osborne and his neighbour Dan Cavanaugh into their Yankeetown subdivision to search for a cat, the 45-year-old couldn’t have imagined what it would be like to stand in front of his home that’s no longer standing.
“It’s a pretty gut-wrenching feeling. Walking around the turn to see your place no longer there,” Osborne said.
On Jenna Lane, a small street that shoots off of Yankeetown Road, Osborne said there’s usually eight homes. On Tuesday he only saw two houses and a garage.
“And the rest of them are all flattened,” Osborne said.
Dan Cavanaugh, Osborne’s neighbour and friend, had heard rumours his house along Yankeetown Road was destroyed. He was in the truck with Osborne as they went to look for a cat.
When they first pulled onto Yankeetown, the damage didn’t look so bad.
“And we got to our friends’ place, saw her house was completely gone, her neighbour to the left was completely gone,” Cavanaugh said. “Half of our road is gone. There’s no houses left on half of Yankeetown road.”
Cavanaugh’s house was spared.
“I’m elated at the same time I’m heartbroken for our other friends,” he said.
Remains from the Tantallon-area fire taken on May 30, 2023. (Sarah Plowman/ CTV Atlantic)
Maureen and Lorne Smith were also in line for a police escort to get their pets.
Although the videos they had seen online showed their house was standing, they also worried what they might find.
“It looks like a warzone,” Lorne Smith said.
“It's hard to imagine everything black and down. That’s just depressing to me to think,” said Maureen.
When the Smiths picked up their cat, they found their house was okay. The couple attributes this to the nearby pond but added other homeowners nearby were not as lucky.
Along their route, Lorne Smith counted about a dozen homes destroyed and many are on Yankeetown Road.
“The daycare is gone. The custom woodshop is gone,” he said.
Those who’ve been inside and have seen the damage describe the path of the fire as if it danced or jumped around.
“There’s spots that’s completely green. And then there’s spots right next to it that are burnt,” Lorne said.
When Danny Osborne left Sunday, he took his trailer with him. It was a decision he learned paid off when he lived through the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016.
“We lucked out in Fort McMurray because we were actually able to come back to our home, which was still standing there. Here, not so lucky. You’re not gonna get that lucky twice maybe I guess,” he said.
For now, Osborne will live with his family in his trailer in his friend’s yard in Lower Sackville. He’ll soon move his family to a campground.
For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi still missing after helicopter accident in mountains
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
Ottawa driver who appeared to be racing another vehicle on Highway 416 facing charges
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says an Ottawa driver is facing charges after being caught going 187 km/h on Highway 416.
Ex-partner charged with first-degree murder after 55-year-old woman killed in Montreal
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.
Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he's sorry, calls his actions 'inexcusable'
Sean 'Diddy' Combs admitted Sunday that he beat his ex-girlfriend in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was 'truly sorry' and his actions were 'inexcusable.'