Traffic was moving steadily on Great Eastern Avenue on Tuesday, the day after a brush fire caused the evacuation of Kenmount Terrace, and the fast response of emergency services, the City of St. John’s and the community surrounding Kenmount Terrace was noted by those who were affected by the Monday’s blaze.
Véronique Babineau says she was lucky to have been at work because she believes she would have been trapped inside the downstairs apartment she has been renting on Orlando Place by the fire, which blew right to her door and warped the laminate siding on her house. Her dog, Lucky, was trapped inside the house and was rescued by firefighters once the flames had been extinguished.
“Everybody was really good,” says Babineau, adding that she has nothing to complain about after the quick action of first responders prevented any further damage to the house.
Babineau has not yet returned to her home, and she and Lucky are staying with friends until power is returned and the fumes from the smoke clear.
Mayor Danny Breen said the city has an emergency preparedness plan for disasters such as fires. At 2 p.m. on Monday, about 40 minutes after the fire was reported, the city opened an emergency preparedness operation centre, staffed by a combination of staff from the city, Eastern Health and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.
The Canadian Red Cross and Salvation Army aided in the city’s effort by providing help to anyone requiring it.
As part of the emergency preparedness plan, the city deployed metro buses to transport anyone in Kenmount Terrace on foot or with their pets from the area.
“I think our response went very well,” says Breen. “I was in the area last night and the response to the response by first responders was very positive.”
The St. John’s Regional Fire Department was on the scene quickly and quelled the flames despite unpredictable winds, with the help of water bombers.
“We always come together when there’s an emergency,” Breen said about the independent response from the community.
Businesses in the area such as Terra Nova GMC Buick, Bill Matthews Volkswagen, Barkyard University Dog Daycare and Spa, Kenmount Road Animal Hospital and Jumping Bean communicated over Twitter to offer those evacuated from Kenmount Terrace a place to wait out the fire.
“We had a couple of calls where people needed a place to go. It was the least we could do,” says Alexia Russell Feltham of Terra Nova GMC Buick.
Several residents who had been evacuated from Kenmount Terrace came to wait out the fire at Terra Nova GMC Buick, or simply moved their cars to the parking lot.
“We could see all the people in need. It was very awakening,” Russell Feltham says about the decision to offer support to those affected by the fire.
Lesley Reid, owner of Jumping Bean on Kelsey Drive, invited anyone who had been evacuated to come have coffee and snacks on the house while they waited to return to their home.
“We couldn’t do much, but we could do that,” says Reid.
Many of the location’s regular customers come from Kenmount Terrace, as do some staff members.
A few groups came to spend time at Jumping Bean while they waited, and Reid reported that customers on Tuesday seemed to be in generally good spirits despite the ordeal.
“There’s nothing worse than fires,” Phyllis Simms said from the front steps of her home on Orlando Place, across the street from where the fire started.
Simms was evacuated to the end of the street, where she waited with several others to be able to return to her home in the evening. Power was restored to her house at 9 p.m.
