'Nothing is left,' daughter says of parents' home lost to forest fire

Stephanie Ann Stewart says her parents watched their house burn down just an hour after they heard news of a forest fire.

Their house, a one-storey in Bocabec, about 20 kilometres northeast of Saint Andrews, was the only one lost in a 540-hectare fire that began Sunday.

Stewart, who goes by Annie, said her parents' house was evacuated, so they were staying at a friend's house across the road. She said the fire came down the hill, destroyed the house, then went back up the hill.

"Nothing is left. It's pretty much just rubble," Stewart said. "All that's left is my mom's bird bath."

She said they were able to move their vehicles, save their pets, and her mother grabbed one photo album. Stewart said she grew up in that house and it held a lot of memories. 

"All my school pictures, my french diploma. ... A couple of books that I got from my music teacher that passed away from breast cancer. I lost a lot of good memories," she said.

She said her parents have been grateful for the outpouring of community support, with people donating necessities and cash, and her partner Shawn McLeod started a crowdfunding campaign.

Stewart said her parents didn't have insurance for the house. She said they're getting a trailer to live in and plan to rebuild.

While some residents of southwestern New Brunswick are breathing a sigh of relief Wednesday about the success of firefighters, the message from the mayor of Saint Andrews was: "This fire is not over."

Hundreds of people had to leave their homes, but on Tuesday, officials lifted the evacuation order — even though the fire is still listed as out of control. 

The next morning, Mayor Brad Henderson said the decision was made because the residential areas are no longer under imminent threat. But he encouraged people to stay vigilant and be prepared to leave again.

"There [are] active hotspots that continue to flare up," he told Information Morning Saint John. "That's expected probably not to end for a number of days. It's such a large area and some of it is very difficult to get to."

Henderson said hot and dry weather, as well as high winds, could contribute to the fire spreading.

Roger Collet, a wildlife management officer with the Department of Natural Resources, told an afternoon news conference in Fredericton that the fire now is mostly smouldering but can't be considered contained.