A Nova Scotia man who lost his 46-year-old home to a fire this week is feeling the support of friends and strangers far and wide as he begins to rebuild.
Chris Anderson, 74, was asleep at his home in Bayport, NS, Tuesday morning when a mist began to creep into his bedroom.
“He just thought it was just the temperature change. But then, as he was laying there, his throat started to get sore when he breathed in and he quickly realized it was smoke,” his son Ben Anderson said.
“So he quickly got out of bed and went to the top of the stairs, looked down and the entire main floor was engulfed in thick white smoke. So I knew it was a bad situation. So he quickly went downstairs, down the hall, and when he went through the basement, he saw huge orange flames.”
Read more:
NS mother and children recall harrowing escape from house fire, grateful for community support
Ben said his father told him he barely made it out of the house and singed his beard.
At the time, Ben said his father ran to a neighbor’s house for help. Chris, a long-time volunteer firefighter, even helped crews fight the blaze.
It took 10 fire trucks from six nearby towns and nearly 12 hours to put out the fire. By then, the house was gone.
“To be fighting to save your home and then get to the point where as a firefighter you knew there was no hope, and watch it burn to the ground after 46 years, this is going to be horrible,” Ben said.
When Ben and his sister first learned of their father’s harrowing escape, they were shocked.
Then they were sad to find out that he had no insurance.
Ben turned to social media and started a fundraiser for his father.
In just two days, more than 413 people have donated nearly $38,000.
Not only has Chris been an active member of the local volunteer fire department, he has also been a math teacher for years, is an avid runner who has run the Boston Marathon over 30 times, and is part of the local theater community.
People from all those walks of life have stepped up to offer their help in the form of donations and offers to hold benefit concerts.
Chris has also been overwhelmed by the kindness of people who visit him with food and clothing, as he stays with the family.
The cause of the fire is believed to be the oven, according to Ben.
A photo of Anderson’s house from around 1980.
Provided/Ben Anderson
Ben, who now lives in New Hampshire, rushed to get a COVID-19 PCR test on Thursday so he could cross the border back into Canada. On Friday, he will begin the long journey home to help his father tidy up his childhood home.
“I have a new phone for him. I have a laptop for him that I’m going to deliver as well,” he said.
“I’m going to help them sort through the debris and see what we can salvage and find. Now he’s there with his brother and some friends working, so I’m looking forward to being a part of that effort and seeing if anything can be salvaged.”
But Ben said the experience of the past few days has shown him that it’s not the belongings, not even a house full of memorabilia, that’s important.
“You know, what really comes out of this… is the importance of hugging the people you love and appreciating every minute, every minute that you have.”
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