Brent Murdock, chief of the Stewiacke and District Volunteer Fire Department, said a smoke detector woke the man up.
“The boyfriend saved the lives of the mother and two children sleeping upstairs,” said Murdock, while still on the scene waiting for housing authorities on St. Andrews Street Extension. “He woke up to the smoke alarm and ran upstairs. He woke the rest of them up, as they were in a deep sleep.”
Murdock said the fire was contained to the kitchen area of the apartment and didn’t spread to the adjoining residence.
“There was heavy smoke when we arrived,” he said, adding there was extensive damage to the kitchen.
The cause, he said, is undetermined at this point, and he expected the fire marshal to be on site to investigate.
The fire was reported around 5:30 a.m., and along with firefighters from Stewiacke, response came from departments from Brookfield, Hilden, Shubenacadie, Milford and Lantz.
Murdock expected the house would need to be boarded up for safety.
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