Firefighters contain blaze at rendering plant
Kings, West Hants volunteers battle fire at industrial complex
Five buildings were damaged by an early morning fire at a rendering plant in Upper Canard on May 7.
Canning volunteer firefighters were paged to S.F. Rendering Ltd., located at the corner of Fred Thomas Road and Highway 341, at 9:37 a.m. after a passerby noticed smoke. Through automatic aid, three additional departments were paged to the scene and before long all Kings County departments were responding and more firefighters and equipment was coming from West Hants.
There are multiple buildings located on the site and many of them have metal roofs. Some of the buildings are interconnected.
“It’s a large industrial complex, so it’s got some challenges as far access (and) getting fire trucks into certain areas,” Canning Fire Chief Jeff Skaling said.
Upon arrival, the first firefighters noticed heavy black smoke coming from multiple rooflines. They surveyed the area to determine where the fire originated and started getting resources to the area.
Skaling estimated the main building where the fire was to be about 40 feet by 90 feet. It was connected to another building, Skaling estimated to be about 40 feet by 150 feet and a third building that is about 90 feet by 50 feet.
“And there’s various sheds holding sawdust,” Skaling said.
Firefighters were able to knock the fire down and keep it from spreading within about an hour.
“Most of the fire was contained to the original fire building. The extension to the other buildings was through the rooflines,” Skaling said.
The Kentville and New Minas fire departments had their aerial trucks on scene and Skaling called them “essential” in fighting the fire. They were able to peel off the metal roofing to help extinguish the fire.
“All of the structures are still standing,” Skaling said.
Dale Scott, one of the company owners, said on May 8 that they were surveying the damage. He noted different steps in the rendering process are separated in different buildings.
“I am hoping we’re able to go ahead and modify our process a little bit and still continue on without any really big disruptions,” he said.
Scott commended the firefighters for their response.
“The fire departments did a wonderful job and that saved a lot,” he said.
The building where the fire started was primarily used to store equipment.
“The shell of the building is still intact,” Skaling said, noting the equipment inside was damaged.
He said two other buildings were heavily damaged, a third was moderately damaged and a fourth sustained smoke damage.
The cause of the fire was not determined. Skaling said while the fire does not appear to be suspicious, the fire marshal’s office was called.
No employees were on site at the time of the fire and no one was injured fighting the blaze. Skaling estimated more than 60 firefighters were on the scene and more were at fill locations or providing stand-by service at other halls. He commended the support from neighbouring departments and the mutual aid system.
“We sincerely appreciate all of the departments,” he said.
The last firefighter left the scene around 4:30 p.m.
Skaling said the timing of the fire helped firefighters contain it.
“If that had happened overnight that would have been a very different situation,” he said.
“Because it was daytime, and someone noticed the smoke, that did make a big difference in what parts of the facility were saved.”
The club provides middle school students an opportunity to try a new activity.
“It lets people experience something they probably wouldn’t have experienced before,” Joseph said. “Before they had this program, I never even really considered archery.”
INTRODUCTION
Elliott grew up playing team sports like hockey, soccer and basketball. After a knee replacement and shoulder surgery, he was looking for something to keep him active and outdoors.
“Archery came up and it was just a fantastic bridge for me at that age in my life.”
It got him thinking about introducing students to the sport.
He started looking for grants to secure the funding to purchase the equipment and now the program is in its second year at the Coldbrook and Kingston schools. He said it is a very inclusive program.
“I have had the great fortune to watch some students, who have never been a part of an extra-curricular group at school, come and not only thrive, but excel at archery and the team atmosphere it fosters,” he said.
Elliott, the National Archery in the School Program (NASP) co-ordinator in Nova Scotia, said all students use the same equipment. The not-forprofit organization, he said, maintains a high level of coaching and safety by training basic archery instructors through workshops around the province.
During a recent practice, students followed all the safety protocols and then headed to the line. They focused on the target and fired their arrows.
“It is really hard,” Joseph said. “So, when I do manage to get a bull’s-eye, it feels really good.”
Brigid said it comes with practice while acknowledging her first bull’seye came about five tries in.
“It was luck,” the 12-year-old from Coldbrook said with a smile. “It was really satisfying, knowing … that I can