When Roger Gillingham’s pager went off on Aug 3, he thought it would be a normal fire call. It was one of many the North Shore Volunteer Fire Department (NSVFD) received over the summer. Almost a dozen
fires started in their jurisdiction from April to August, including one in Adam’s Cove that destroyed 12 homes. But that sunny afternoon, the unthinkable happened – a fire in the woods that would lead to a month-long evacuation across nine communities. The fire started in
Kingston and burned for almost three weeks in August. It burned over 10,000 hectares, spanning the 16 kilometers to Northern Bay, and torching nearly 200 homes. Come listen to their story.