Families devastated after homes burn down in Long Lake, N.S., wildfire

The Long Lake wildfire in Nova Scotia is still out of control, destroying homes and exhausting crews.

Families who have lost everything in the Long Lake, N.S., wildfire are now grappling with the devastation.

“I learned yesterday [that] the status of my home is it’s completely gone. My business, my small business of being a garbologist, recycler, artist, musician, you know, it’s gone. Total loss,” said Michael Paztor.

Paztor said he had 45 years’ worth of collectibles like comic books, sports cards, and antique bottles from across Nova Scotia. He described the loss as “horrible, heartbroken, mind raging.”

Two of Paztor’s cats didn’t survive. His brother who lived close by also lost his home in fire

“What’s left is just scrap metal,” Paztor said. “There’s so many emotions in a person when they lose everything.

“I don’t wish this on anyone. It was a whole lifetime. And it’s just gone.”

Despite the heartbreak, he says the community has been a lifeline, with neighbours, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army offering daily support.

Jamie Borden thought his property had only minor fire damage until he saw the photos.

“We were expecting to see, like, some damage to one building,” he said. “And actually it turned out to be a total loss of three buildings; one being our dwelling, another being the workshop with our tools and supplies, and then a small barn with bins of our personal effects.”

Borden said the home he and his family had been fixing up did survive thanks to firefighters. But their dwelling and the workshop – the heart of their life – mattered most.

“Your heart sinks. Instant sense of loss. And then reality kind of sets in,” he said.

He says he feels fortunate his family had time to evacuate, but every day brings new reminders of what was left behind.

Even as he and his wife think about how to move forward, Borden says he worries how the upheaval will affect children returning to school next week.

“There’s folks out there right now that only know where they’re living for a week at a time,” he said. “That’s not enough stability for a child to attend school and not have difficulties.”

His own daughter is nervous about starting on a new bus route.

Not far away, Dion and Cindy Schofield are also trying to hold on. Their home survived, but the vinyl siding melted and their garden, where they grew much of their food, was destroyed.

“We just weren’t impacted on the same level,” Dion said. “The house next door is levelled. There’s just a basement. Our side is stripped down.”

Like many of their neighbours, the Schoefields don’t have insurance.

“When we moved in, I tried to get insurance and they refused us,” Cindy explained. “We heat with wood. They wanted a secondary source of heat, but to do that we would have had to upgrade the electricity in the whole house. We couldn’t afford it at the time.”

The Schofields say seeing neighbours’ homes flattened has been crushing, especially when she knows families with children have lost everything.

“The closest feeling to it is losing someone, like the death of someone,” said Dion. “When we see the pictures, that’s kind of the feeling. It’s like something died.”

The couple is leaning on their community and says West Dalhousie has always been strong.

“Everybody’s pulling together to help each other,” Dion said. “The people who lost everything are going to be supported by the people who didn’t.”

Across Annapolis County, smoke lingered in the air for much of Friday. In Bridgetown, the smell carried through the town. There was a period where a dark cloud rolled in, but it only brought a few drops of relief.

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