Security is keeping a close eye on a burned out duplex on Harrington Street in Glace Bay, N.S., after a significant fire Friday night.
Residents who live nearby say they heard an explosion and then saw a ball of flames.
Everyone got out safe, but people are now thinking about the tenants who live here.
“It's heartbreaking,” said David MacKeigan, a community volunteer. “Four families have lost their home. Where do they go? They've lost all of their belongings and by the looks of the home up there, there's not much that can be salvaged, its heart wrenching.”
Fire officials say they received a call about someone trapped in the burning building, so they took an aggressive approach to knock down the flames and gain entry.
“Fire conditions were extreme,” said John Chant, Chief of Glace Bay Volunteer Fire Department. “There was lots of heat. When you went down the basement stairs you are in a chimney effect, so the fire fighters took a tremendous amount of heat.”
Chant said three of his fire fighters had to be treated by paramedics at the scene.
“One fire fighter had severe heat trauma,” Chant said. “He had burns on the right side of his head. He was treated by EHS and advised if there were other injuries to report to the hospital. The other two was more heat exhaustion.”
The Red Cross is helping the tenants, who are currently staying in a hotel.
Fundraisers have also started in the community to try and help them in their time of need, but finding long-term accommodations isn't going to be easy.
MacKeigan volunteers with a number of community groups and he’s seen the need first hand.
“There's not much housing,” he said. “People in need can't find housing. Even people who can afford housing are signing leases before properties are even being built. It's scary the need is just so high.”
The Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
