Woman who helped get tenants out of burning Shediac apartment building says they're in shock - CBC
A fire broke out in the early morning hours on Thursday at an apartment building on Cornwall Road in Shediac. (France Bourque)Social SharingA blackened apartment building in Shediac was still smoking several hours after a fire broke out early Thursday morning, displacing all residents of the 36-unit building.
Sea Breeze Properties, which owns the building at 25 Cornwall Rd., across from a Canadian Tire, said in a news release that so far, no injuries have been reported.
Vic Shaw, the owner of Sea Breeze, said the building was completed in 2023 by Quest Properties, and Sea Breeze took it over in 2024.
As he drove from Sackville to Shediac early Thursday morning, Shaw said, he was just hoping and praying that everyone was OK.
Luckily, the in-house superintendent, Erica Nan Hepditch, helped get everyone out quickly.
"She's what you call a modern day hero," Shaw said. "I'm so proud of her."
Hepditch, who lives on the second floor of the building, said everyone is still in shock.
Vic Shaw, the owner of the apartment building, said he's been told it is a write-off. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC)
Hepditch said she was getting ready for work about 4 a.m., when she soon heard a bang on her door accompanied by a tenant shouting that there was a fire.
"I yell at my boyfriend, 'Get up, get dressed, get the dog, you've got to go outside, there's a fire,'" she said.
"I'm going up the stairs and down the stairs, banging on people's doors, yelling, 'There's a fire! You've got to get out!' ... And the smoke was just billowing everywhere."
She said she felt she needed to get everyone out else of the building before herself.
"These are my people," Hepditch said. "I love them all, they all mean something to me. We're all family in this little big building. You know, we're all connected.
Erica Nan Hepditch and Matthew Magee and their dog were at the Shediac Multipurpose Centre after a fire destroyed their apartment. Hepditch ran through the building trying to get her neighbours outside. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC)
Hepditch said she and some other residents lost their cats in the fire. Her cat hid, and she wasn't able to get her out in time.
After she was out of the building, Hepditch called tenants she hadn't laid eyes on to make sure they were safe.
She was among the residents bused to the Shediac Multipurpose Centre.
Julien Boudreau, the deputy fire chief with the Shediac Fire Department, said the department was dispatched at around 4:15 a.m., originally for an outdoor fire. Around two minutes later, he said, this was upgraded to a full structure fire.
On arrival, firefighters found the entire back side of the building in flames, along with the roof. He said firefighters did a sweep of the building and didn't find any occupants.
The third floor of the building has been destroyed.
Boudreau said four fire departments are on the scene β Shediac, Cap-Acadie, Dieppe and Beausoleil β and firefighters would be there "all day."
Julien Boudreau, the deputy fire chief in Shediac, said the fire destroyed the third floor of the building. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC)
The biggest challenge for firefighters is the size of the building, and it's difficult to access all the floors, Boudreau said.
The fire is under investigation, and the fire marshal's office is already on site.
"At this point, we have no idea what caused the fire," Boudreau said.
Mayor Patricia Bourque-Chevarie said she got a call around 5 a.m. from the fire chief letting her know that everyone was safely out of the building.
She said the building is a "total loss."
Shaw, with Sea Breeze Properties, said there was an average of two people to each apartment, meaning around 72 tenants were affected. But because only adults are on the lease, he doesn't know what the actual number would be including children, he said.
As he sat and looked at the building, Shaw said it is clear the roof is completely burnt off and many of the walls had also collapsed. While he could still see the three storeys, "it's in sad shape."
He said the firefighters told him that the building is a writeoff.
Shaw said the building was built to code by the original company, but there were no sprinklers as they weren't required because of the size of the building.
Shaw said that once the fire is completely out, the fire marshal will do an inspection to try to determine the cause.
Hannah Rudderham is a reporter with CBC New Brunswick. She grew up in Cape Breton, N.S., and moved to Fredericton in 2018. You can send story tips to hannah.rudderham@cbc.ca.
