Roofers hailed as heroes for alerting neighbours to Tantallon-area fire
A Halifax roofing crew is being hailed as heroes for their actions Sunday, after springing into action and alerting neighbours when they spotted smoke and then a fast-moving wildfire in Upper Tantallon, N.S.
"We could all smell smoke," roofer Eric Lafitte told CTV News Wednesday.
"Came over the peak, and someone got a little video… It wasn't much at first, but the smoke was getting really thick and it was starting to come towards us. Then it was a little bit of a panic to get off and get everybody out.”
Within minutes, the smoke turned to fire and spread rapidly.
"There was eight foot flames that looked like a bonfire. And then, instantaneously after that, there was a 60-foot tree that burst into flames," said roofer Adam Wolfe.
The roofers say, everything after that became a blur. They gathered equipment and fanned-out, pounding on doors and alerting neighbours.
John Barrington stayed to assist the homeowner at the job-site, valiantly battling the growing flames with a garden hose.
"She (the fire) was really fast," said Barrington.
"Like any one of these trees behind me here, went up like that in seconds. And, there was a times when we looked behind us. the main fire was there, and all of a sudden, there was a another fire started over there."
Lafitte says they knew the fire was going to be big.
"It was very windy. The wind was just feeding that fire like you wouldn't believe. Everything we were trying to get out, there was something else starting. It was all over the place within seconds."
While some grateful neighbours have already expressed gratitude for the actions of the crew that day, the man who owns the company says it's a bit overwhelming.
"They're good guys, and like I said, we were just doing our job, right? And it happened. And it's time to go," said Francis Lafitte.
Officials have said the cause of the ongoing Tantallon wildfire will be investigated by someone appointed by the Nova Scotia Department of (Natural) Resources and Renewables, but it's unclear who's leading the probe for the time being.
"The investigation is being led by Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency and the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables," HRM Communications Spokesperson Laura Wright told CTV News via email.
There was no response to an inquiry to a department spokesperson by news deadline Wednesday.
Asked whether he felt like a hero, Barrington was quick to answer.
"Absolutely not," he said.
“I was just in the right place at the wrong time, I guess."
Wolfe added they just did what they thought they should do.
"These first responders and these fire people are doing what they can. Hopefully, we get rain soon,” said Wolfe.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
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.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
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.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.