Tragic fire for Annapolis Royal family
Family pets dead, man and woman displaced in Round Hill fire
Two pets are dead and a man and a woman have been displaced by a fire early Saturday afternoon that destroyed a house near Round Hill between Bridgetown and Annapolis Royal on Highway 201.
Annapolis Royal Fire Chief Malcolm Francis said firefighters received a call about a structure fire at 1196 Mill Rd. in Round Hill at about 12: 50 p. m. Oct. 22. He said when firefighters arrived there was a lot of smoke and flames were just starting to show in the kitchen window.
Chief Francis said firefighters were able to quickly knock the fire down and attempted to revive the family pets – a cat and a dog – but to no avail. He said they died from the smoke inhalation.
The occupants of the house were not home at the time, but Francis said the woman arrived about the same time firefighters received the call, which he believes came in from a neighbour. He said she tried several times to go into the house and save the pets. EHS was called to check on the woman.
Lawrencetown, Bridgetown, and Bear River fire departments were sent to the scene as well under the new struc- ture fire response protocol in Annapolis County.
The occupants of the small one- storey house are staying with relatives for now, said Red Cross spokesman Dan Bedell Sunday morning. He said disaster volunteers with the Canadian Red Cross arranged emergency purchases of clothing, food, and other essentials.
Chief Francis said the kitchen and living room were gutted by the fire and the rest of the house sustained major heat and smoke damage. He said it appears the electric range in the kitchen may have started the fire.
Chief Francis said firefighters were on the scene until about 3:30 p.m.