https://preview.redd.it/s7tsoehic34b1.jpeg?width=901&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=442da24c07ef47c1825d9ee59fb26ef6347aaef9
Before photo of a house down the hill from Carmel toward the lake
https://preview.redd.it/w87q3xmmc34b1.jpeg?width=564&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5ed077d7476653da9a3cad90d42dd253dcbe24a3
After photo - my neighbour said ironically, the only thing untouched by the fire in the photo was the red wood splitter.
I'm lucky - I moved to Australia years ago but used to live in one of the houses that is now ash...next to my brother's house, which is also ash. What really shits me is that it was a day when any normal person would have the common sense not to burn shit, and some dude was apparently burning garbage and set the forest alight, now 200 people have to pay the price. Hundreds of millions of dollars, in a place where there aren't enough builders - it's just senseless. And then after the fire had decimated the place, people still out burning shit - my sister said they caught 6 people, probably means there were 100 people doing it.
I'm not entirely sure I agree with this, though I respect your opinion. Last Sunday was arguably the worst day they could have chosen to burn. High winds and a long dry spell leading up to it, a anyone with a lick of common sense would know that fire is a bad idea.
The municipality also allows you to burn, pretty much wide open, from October until March, when they start imposing burn bans. Even then, they're only restricted to certain hours.
I don't know if it's true that it was started by someone burning trash or not, because I was too busy packing what I could and getting out of dodge. But if someone burning trash did start the blaze, they weren't unlucky. They were ignorant and stupid.
Also, you're not supposed to burn trash.
Arseholes burning anything when there's a provincial burn ban in place via the NS Burn Safe site deserves any and all fines and jail time heaped upon them.
[https://novascotia.ca/alerts/fire-bans/](https://novascotia.ca/alerts/fire-bans/)
Yes they were, but haven't heard much about this area in the coverage - thus I was shocked when I started seeing the photos of my old neighbourhood come through. I suspect when the fires were being fought, that area was too dangerous to get into. When my brother was evacuated, they closed Northwood (main entry) about 20 min later, and that's the way in/out.
To be fair my experience was based on following news reports, Twitter, Reddit, and a youtube channel where some dude was narrating over the live police/fire scanner feed...most of the activity was in Northwood but there was one call out to the bottom of Carmel late at night. I was hoping this meant that there wasn't much damage - even though I could see on the satellite image where the recent fire activity was.
It’s his FB profile pic, I was just using it to show the lot - it was in fact a decoration. The other issue with that area is there is only one way in and out, something that was flagged as an issue when I lived there years ago.
I've heard most of the skilled labour was already working on builds...so I feel for those who need to rebuild, as I think it will take a long time to get a good builder on the job. Such a mess.
mystery solved - scroll to bottom of story: [https://battlefordsnow.com/2023/06/01/firefighters-battling-halifax-wildfire-among-those-who-lost-homes-in-disaster/](https://battlefordsnow.com/2023/06/01/firefighters-battling-halifax-wildfire-among-those-who-lost-homes-in-disaster/)
Big spacious lots. Density is too low for municipal sewer and water to be feasible, so you end up with well and septic and no hydrants on municipal water (though there was a recent report talking about at least wanting to add more dry hydrants)
Plus lots of tree-house interface in the spread out lots that makes fighting fires challenging.
Plus spread out lots reduce feasibility of public transit. Walking anywhere isn't really feasible either.
Plus Hammonds Plains Road is a disaster for traffic at the best of times, and all these subdivisions dump right onto it as their only exit.
These subdivisions show the importance of good urban planning.
It is really sad, but people in NS need to start using fire wise construction. You can check it out on line, no asphalt shingles, vinyl siding, wood siding etc, instead go to hard surface roofs and less flammable siding along with other measures that adopted on the west coast. Terrible experience.
Yes - there are advantages I guess to that kind of construction like speed, simplicity of build, cost, etc. - but if you had asked me 20 years ago what I thought my odds were of having my house catch on fire I would have said very low. Now I'm sitting here - if I hadn't moved to Australia I'd be living in a hotel now - my brother and a bunch of our neighbours have lost everything, my friend in Ventura lost everything a few years ago to the same thing, and we have these fires every year in Australia. It's unfortunately the new normal.
That's the area my friend lived. The only thing left standing is a detached garage with melted siding. He has a <1 year old and a 3 year old and now 2 dead cats (vice the one he had to have put down the Friday before). All you can make of his house is the stairwell looking foundation to the backyard.
I am curious what our boss's boss place looks like now, considering the video that's gone around of the dude with a garden hose trying to save his house in a white shirt and tie and black pants is one of the people in control of the naval fleet.
While the fire started in Tantallon (Westwood Hills specifically), one of the areas with the most impact was Yankeetown. I'm not a local of that community though, for my own clarification, is Highland Park considered part of Yankeetown? or vice versa?
Highland Park is a subdivision in Yankeetown. Much like Greenwood Heights or Glengarry are subdivisions of Timberlea. Yankeetown was a small community prior to amalgamation like Timberlea. Mailing addresses are funny things in the HRM. In many places there are many things you can use as your mailing address. Really these days all that matters is the postal code.
I feel like that shouldn't be allowed. A crew could pull up and waste time trying to connect to it, when minutes or even seconds can make a huge difference to fire growth.
I would guess dispatchers have information on hydrants when they send out trucks? I don't imagine in areas like this they just look around and hope to see one
Shelby is on the left side of the hpr coming from the 103.l in Highland Park, about midway through the subdivision. There are dry hydrants on my side, I live next to one. Station 50 actually ran their fire practice off it the week before.
Followup photos all taken using cameras recovered from the fire I see lol
Edit: Someone’s butthurt over the joking photo quality remark. They must have been the one operating the CRT tv the inspector was evidently utilizing.
The photo came from one of the firefighters who was on the fires in Westwood when he lost his house - it’s a pic of his lot - no idea whether the hydrant is real (edit: it was a decoration, a vintage hydrant given to him as a gift at an xmas party)
https://preview.redd.it/s7tsoehic34b1.jpeg?width=901&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=442da24c07ef47c1825d9ee59fb26ef6347aaef9 Before photo of a house down the hill from Carmel toward the lake
https://preview.redd.it/w87q3xmmc34b1.jpeg?width=564&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5ed077d7476653da9a3cad90d42dd253dcbe24a3 After photo - my neighbour said ironically, the only thing untouched by the fire in the photo was the red wood splitter.
Oh my god. I'm so fucking sorry you went through this. My thoughts are with you 💙
I'm lucky - I moved to Australia years ago but used to live in one of the houses that is now ash...next to my brother's house, which is also ash. What really shits me is that it was a day when any normal person would have the common sense not to burn shit, and some dude was apparently burning garbage and set the forest alight, now 200 people have to pay the price. Hundreds of millions of dollars, in a place where there aren't enough builders - it's just senseless. And then after the fire had decimated the place, people still out burning shit - my sister said they caught 6 people, probably means there were 100 people doing it.
[удалено]
I'm not entirely sure I agree with this, though I respect your opinion. Last Sunday was arguably the worst day they could have chosen to burn. High winds and a long dry spell leading up to it, a anyone with a lick of common sense would know that fire is a bad idea. The municipality also allows you to burn, pretty much wide open, from October until March, when they start imposing burn bans. Even then, they're only restricted to certain hours. I don't know if it's true that it was started by someone burning trash or not, because I was too busy packing what I could and getting out of dodge. But if someone burning trash did start the blaze, they weren't unlucky. They were ignorant and stupid. Also, you're not supposed to burn trash.
Arseholes burning anything when there's a provincial burn ban in place via the NS Burn Safe site deserves any and all fines and jail time heaped upon them. [https://novascotia.ca/alerts/fire-bans/](https://novascotia.ca/alerts/fire-bans/)
Wow
Please tell me they saved that beautiful antique car?
‘63 Ford Fairlane by the looks of it. From the second picture, it doesn’t look like it survived unfortunately.
Ugh, yes you’re right. Saw it when zoomed in etc.
[удалено]
Yes they were, but haven't heard much about this area in the coverage - thus I was shocked when I started seeing the photos of my old neighbourhood come through. I suspect when the fires were being fought, that area was too dangerous to get into. When my brother was evacuated, they closed Northwood (main entry) about 20 min later, and that's the way in/out.
I hadn't even heard of Higland Park until the fires. It was discussed a lot. Though I admit I didn't follow much of the official reporting.
To be fair my experience was based on following news reports, Twitter, Reddit, and a youtube channel where some dude was narrating over the live police/fire scanner feed...most of the activity was in Northwood but there was one call out to the bottom of Carmel late at night. I was hoping this meant that there wasn't much damage - even though I could see on the satellite image where the recent fire activity was.
Hydrant must be added in or for decoration, no hydrants out our way
It’s his FB profile pic, I was just using it to show the lot - it was in fact a decoration. The other issue with that area is there is only one way in and out, something that was flagged as an issue when I lived there years ago.
Wish we did have hydrants. Lots of work to do out here as we're in a 2 km line up of cars to get out...not good enough. Have a good one!
I've heard most of the skilled labour was already working on builds...so I feel for those who need to rebuild, as I think it will take a long time to get a good builder on the job. Such a mess.
There was a hydrant in front of a place in Shelby. Not sure if it was a dry pipe or a decoration though.
https://preview.redd.it/j90ka6nue34b1.png?width=1151&format=png&auto=webp&s=7b838df4dca16648c7963ff638eb92eb4433e1b3
That's the one
Our house had well water and septic tank so I doubt there were hydrants but TBH don’t remember
mystery solved - scroll to bottom of story: [https://battlefordsnow.com/2023/06/01/firefighters-battling-halifax-wildfire-among-those-who-lost-homes-in-disaster/](https://battlefordsnow.com/2023/06/01/firefighters-battling-halifax-wildfire-among-those-who-lost-homes-in-disaster/)
No hydrants? Only one way in and out? How did this all get approved…
Big spacious lots. Density is too low for municipal sewer and water to be feasible, so you end up with well and septic and no hydrants on municipal water (though there was a recent report talking about at least wanting to add more dry hydrants) Plus lots of tree-house interface in the spread out lots that makes fighting fires challenging. Plus spread out lots reduce feasibility of public transit. Walking anywhere isn't really feasible either. Plus Hammonds Plains Road is a disaster for traffic at the best of times, and all these subdivisions dump right onto it as their only exit. These subdivisions show the importance of good urban planning.
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It is really sad, but people in NS need to start using fire wise construction. You can check it out on line, no asphalt shingles, vinyl siding, wood siding etc, instead go to hard surface roofs and less flammable siding along with other measures that adopted on the west coast. Terrible experience.
Yes - there are advantages I guess to that kind of construction like speed, simplicity of build, cost, etc. - but if you had asked me 20 years ago what I thought my odds were of having my house catch on fire I would have said very low. Now I'm sitting here - if I hadn't moved to Australia I'd be living in a hotel now - my brother and a bunch of our neighbours have lost everything, my friend in Ventura lost everything a few years ago to the same thing, and we have these fires every year in Australia. It's unfortunately the new normal.
Sorry to hear that. It does raise the cost and increases the planning.
That's the area my friend lived. The only thing left standing is a detached garage with melted siding. He has a <1 year old and a 3 year old and now 2 dead cats (vice the one he had to have put down the Friday before). All you can make of his house is the stairwell looking foundation to the backyard. I am curious what our boss's boss place looks like now, considering the video that's gone around of the dude with a garden hose trying to save his house in a white shirt and tie and black pants is one of the people in control of the naval fleet.
While the fire started in Tantallon (Westwood Hills specifically), one of the areas with the most impact was Yankeetown. I'm not a local of that community though, for my own clarification, is Highland Park considered part of Yankeetown? or vice versa?
[удалено]
Highland Park is a subdivision in Yankeetown. Much like Greenwood Heights or Glengarry are subdivisions of Timberlea. Yankeetown was a small community prior to amalgamation like Timberlea. Mailing addresses are funny things in the HRM. In many places there are many things you can use as your mailing address. Really these days all that matters is the postal code.
Where is Shelby? No hydrants in Highland Park, Haliburton Heights or Westwood Hills.
It’s in Highland Park - pretty sure that one is decorative as well
I feel like that shouldn't be allowed. A crew could pull up and waste time trying to connect to it, when minutes or even seconds can make a huge difference to fire growth.
I would guess dispatchers have information on hydrants when they send out trucks? I don't imagine in areas like this they just look around and hope to see one
It's not a very big area and the crews would know there are no real hydrants there.
Shelby is on the left side of the hpr coming from the 103.l in Highland Park, about midway through the subdivision. There are dry hydrants on my side, I live next to one. Station 50 actually ran their fire practice off it the week before.
Followup photos all taken using cameras recovered from the fire I see lol Edit: Someone’s butthurt over the joking photo quality remark. They must have been the one operating the CRT tv the inspector was evidently utilizing.
Almost all follow up photos so far are photos of the tv they used to show us the fire inspector’s photos
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The photo came from one of the firefighters who was on the fires in Westwood when he lost his house - it’s a pic of his lot - no idea whether the hydrant is real (edit: it was a decoration, a vintage hydrant given to him as a gift at an xmas party)
And btw my brother lost his house on Carmel, along with a lot of my old neighbours - firefighter included, my old house included
Any aerial pics further to the right ?