94-year-old woman still homeless after Long Lake wildfire
CBC
It's been more than two months since roughly a thousand residents of the West Dalhousie, N.S., area went home after being evacuated due to the Long Lake wildfire.
Ruth Manuel wasn't one of them.
“I’ve got no home now to go to,” the 94-year-old said in an interview with CBC News.
Her son Norman Manuel is doing his best to change that.
The Annapolis County wildfire, which was sparked by a lightning strike on Aug. 13 and has yet to be completely extinguished, burned an estimated 8,468 hectares and destroyed 20 homes and 11 outbuildings.
Among them was the house Ruth's late husband built for them over 70 years ago in West Dalhousie, adding rooms to it as their family grew.
Ruth, her son and his girlfriend lived together at the house.
On the day the fire started, Norman, 61, was watering the garden when it suddenly began raining. He said he remembers hearing thunder and seeing a flash of lightning.
“So it wasn't too long after that we got a phone call saying that there's a fire up the road,” he said.
The evacuation order came the next day. They were told they had 15 minutes to get out.
Firefighters from across Nova Scotia and Canada worked for weeks to contain the fire and save structures, making it one of the largest firefighting efforts in the province’s history. At one point, about 500 civic addresses were evacuated.
But on Aug. 24, when a Department of Natural Resources official summed up extreme conditions by saying "everything in fire behaviour you don't want happening is happening today," their home was one of 20 consumed by the raging wildfire.
Norman said his mom lost her hearing aids, wedding rings, and family photos and memorabilia.
Officials took Norman to see the property after they got the news the house was gone.
The RCMP has not recruited enough new officers or effectively assigned its members to meet its operational needs, according to a new report from the auditor general — raising concerns about public safety across the country.
Oil prices fell Monday morning after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would hold off on striking Iran’s energy infrastructure amid productive talks between the two countries.
Premier Doug Ford says his government plans to give Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport special designation that would allow the province to bypass municipal and provincial laws as it pushes to expand the runway downtown.
Jenelle Hughes says she worries every time her two older children take their car to get to Fanshawe College in London, Ont., from their home in Dutton.
Oil prices fell Monday morning after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would hold off on striking Iran’s energy infrastructure amid productive talks between the two countries.
While spring technically started late last week, Newfoundland and Labrador isn't free from winter weather just yet.
The Sudbury School Bus Consortium is suspending all school buses in Greater Sudbury as the community continues to clean up following a major storm.
Two large corporate landlords owning a combined 9,008 rental units in Halifax are reporting smaller annual increases in their average rents for 2025 than the previous year.
The Holt government has reached a deal with Ottawa on compensation for tens of millions of dollars in lost sales tax revenue from the Christmas season in 2024.
The government of Saskatchewan has announced plans to reduce the length of non-resident game bird hunting licences to combat illegal guiding.
An 87-year-old Alberta man is fighting extradition to the United Kingdom to stand trial for historical allegations of physical and sexual assault involving minors.
Eight casinos across southwest B.C. have been sold to First Nations in the last two years, with the province's gambling scene set to be reshaped as a result.
Hamilton hosts the Junos Sunday, and the musical awards show is bringing tourists, musicians, concerts and a ton of themed events to the city this week.