Newcomers praise firefighters after being rescued from blaze during N.S. snowstorm

A person walks down a snow-covered street in Sydney, N.S. on Monday, Feb.5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Shane Wilkie

SYDNEY, N.S. -

A family of five are among the survivors after a remarkable rescue from an apartment building that caught fire in Cape Breton during last weekend's paralyzing snowstorm.

Ann Adibe, who is staying in a Sydney hotel with her husband and three children, described the early morning electrical blaze as "traumatic," saying that when she woke up around 5 a.m. on Sunday, she saw smoke emerging from the ceiling of the two-storey apartment building.

The fumes had spread throughout the building within minutes, she said in an interview Thursday.

"I had just woken up .... The smoke was coming out from the ceiling and it was becoming intense. I was in my nightie and it was freezing and cold. It was terrible."

Firefighters were called and arrived quickly at the scene, Mark Bettens, a platoon chief, said in an interview Thursday. Firefighters, each carrying about 50 kilograms of gear, came to Wesley Street and waded through about 150 metres of "close to waist-height snow."

He said they immediately began battling the fire with extinguishers and other hand-held tools they had carried in.

Meanwhile, he said two municipal snowplows cleared a path down the street, allowing firefighters to bring in water hoses to control the flames.

Bettens said nobody was injured in the rescue and that the 12 residents of four households, including the Adibes, were provided shelter in the back of the rescue truck.

The 60-year-old firefighter -- who has three decades of experience -- said he couldn't recall having to adapt to such a range of adverse conditions, from moving through snow-blocked streets to finding ways to attack the fire with hand-held gear, as the storm combined a mix of snow and cold rain with howling winds.

He said the service responded to the fire with an unconventional approach: instead of reserving some members of the fire station to respond on a large engine truck, firefighters were sent to the scene on a smaller rescue vehicle. That decision proved wise, he said, because the big vehicles used in Sydney were struggling to navigate the snowy streets.

"The redeployment of personnel into the (smaller) rescue truck allowed us to put in a second wave of firefighters that were able to quickly knock that fire down and search for hot spots," he said.

After knocking down the fire, Bettens said the firefighters were also able retrieve travel documents for the residents, who he said were all newcomers to Canada and were anxious to preserve their records.

"It was without question the most difficult conditions I've operated in during my career as a firefighter and paramedic the conditions of heavy snow are just so much more challenging than you might imagine," he said.

"Canadians know what it's like to truck through snow. Well, if you're carrying over 100 pounds of gear, you can only imagine how much more difficult that is."

Michael Adibe, Ann's husband, said in an interview that calling 911 quickly -- and the rapid firefighter response -- was critical.

"If they hadn't come, the whole building would have caught fire," said the 47-year-old.

His family is worried about finding a short-term rental while their apartment is repaired, he said.

Adibe said he is employed at a call centre on a work permit, while Ann Adibe is studying at Cape Breton University. After growing up in Nigeria, the family plans to make a new life in Canada and has only been in Cape Breton for five months.

"I'm very concerned. I have three kids. If I was on my own, I'd be able to manage," he said, referring to his 14-year-old, 12-year-old and nine-year-old children.

A spokesman for the Canadian Red Cross said it provided assistance to four households, which included funds for emergency lodging, clothing, food, and personal products.

Adibe said that while his family needs to replace lost belongings -- including laptops -- and restart their lives, they remain thankful to the firefighters.

"They did very well, it was a good job. I was happy they came," he said.

"It could have been very bad."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2024.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.