CROWES MILLS, N.S. — Katrina DeAdder lost many personal effects in the fire – clothing, furniture, jewelry, ornaments.
Nothing compares to the loss of her pets.
“I wake up sometimes and, for a second, I think it was just a nightmare, but it wasn’t,” DeAdder said. “I’ll be out somewhere and think I want to go home, and then I remember.”
Dogs Maggie and Sunny, and a cat, Dave, died when their home in Crowes Mills was destroyed by fire Jan. 2.
“Our pets were like family to us,” she said. “I can’t even explain the loss. They went for drives with us, slept in bed with us at night.
Mike (MacDonald) and I both said we would have taken our pets over anything in the house.”
Maggie was a duck toller mix that her stepson brought home about seven years ago. During an outing with his grandfather, a man in a parking lot asked him if he wanted a dog.
“She was a very smart dog,” said DeAdder. “Sunny was a pitbull, who was five-and-a-half and was a big sook. If she wasn’t snuggling or touching you some way it was wasted time as far as she was concerned. She loved to cuddle up with the kids.
“Dave was about seven. I got him when there was a yard sale at the Onslow school and there were kids there with a box of kittens. He was just a tiny little grey ball when I took him home. He was a cat who looked cranky but was sweet and would snuggle, and he loved being carried around.”
The pets were home alone when someone reported the blaze at 3:20 p.m. A co-worker, whose father had driven past, told DeAdder her home was burning.
“It was so scary,” she said. “I drove home, hoping I could get the pets out.
“I’m really thankful for the firefighters who were there. They were really kind and brave, and they looked for our pets.”
About 35 firefighters from the Onslow-Belmont, Debert, North River and Cobequid brigades were on-scene until about 6 p.m.
DeAdder and her husband are staying at his mother’s home for now, and her two stepchildren are staying with their mothers.
She thinks she might adopt more pets in the future. First, she needs time to grieve for those she lost.
The home wasn’t insured because of conditions with a wood stove, though DeAdder said it appears the fire was caused by an electrical issue.
“There have been a lot of tears, but a lot of people have been very kind, and we really appreciate it,” she added. “I would urge people to get insurance and have some sort of fire safety procedure for their pets.”
Damage was estimated at be between $125,000 and $140,000, and a couple of friends have set up GoFundMe pages to help the family. These can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/Fire-destroys-home-please-help-this-family and https://www.gofundme.com/f/zn5dky-help-for-family-who-lost-home-in-fire
