A couple who moved to the West Dalhousie, N.S., area this year and are about to welcome their first child are among the people who’ve lost their homes to the out-of-control Long Lake wildfire.
While the total number of homes destroyed by the fire in Annapolis County is not yet known, owners of confirmed losses are being contacted by the municipality.
Meghan Yelland and Michael Zeaman, who had just set up a nursery in their home, received the devastating news after a stressful weekend as winds from Hurricane Erin fuelled the fire.
“I was just a mess. We had been tracking the storm. On Saturday [the fire] was five kilometres from the house and then when the hurricane tail came up, it just blew it directly to our property,” Yelland told CBC News.
Yelland, who is two weeks away from her due date, said she was aware people were getting calls about property loss. When the county initially contacted her, she was told people who had suffered the most damage were being called first. Three hours later, a county representative called back to say they needed to see her the next day. That’s when she and Zeaman learned their house was gone.
The couple, both health-care workers, moved to the area from Montreal earlier this year to live in their dream home and start a family. Now they face having to rebuild almost everything.
Yelland said she’s trying to remain calm and stay focused on what’s to come.
“We’ve worked with people on the worst days of their lives, we’ve held hands with family members as they’ve said goodbye. We’ve been there for people in devastating times. For us, it’s really enforcing the fact that you can get through anything as long as you have love, support and family,” Yelland said.
Since receiving the news, Yelland and Zeaman said they’ve seen an outpouring of support — from the Canadian Red Cross to the Salvation Army, crews fighting the fire and others in the community.
“We came out here to start a family. We wanted a place that would welcome us and feel like a community and really this has shown us that we found the right place,” Yelland said.
Jonathan Gillis, president of the West Dalhousie Community Hall, said fire evacuees have been dealing with a lack of available temporary housing options in the community.
More than 1,000 residents have been evacuated because of the Long Lake fire, which started on Aug. 13.
Gillis said people have been reaching out to him directly for help in finding places to stay.
“We were told in the early days … this is going to be a day or two, because they weren’t sure what was going on, and so people took a day or two worth of things,” he said.
“Now we’re coming to the realization this is going to be more of a permanent ordeal, and this is huge for people.”
Gillis said some accommodations like motels are already booked. A man and his 93-year-old mother were looking for a spot after being told their motel room would soon be needed for another booking, he said.
But Gillis noted not everyone has the financial means to pay for lodging like a motel.
He also helped a single mother who was sleeping in a tent with her two children, a cat and a dog.
“We have found a semi-permanent lodging for around 18 or 19 people, which we’re quite proud of,” said Gillis, who has also been cooking and serving up meals to evacuees and fire crews.
Gillis said he’d like to see modular homes or bunkhouses brought into the community to help those who need a place to stay. Department of Natural Resources officials have said the fire is likely to burn for weeks to come.
“We’ve got schools starting next week. I’ve got families worried about that,” said Gillis, who had to evacuate his own home with his wife and three children.
