The last time Kasey DeMings saw his house was the day the fire got to Carleton Village, which is about a 15-minute drive from Shelburne, N.S.
DeMings, a fisherman of 10 years, had just joined the Gunning Cove volunteer fire department a few days earlier. That morning found him standing at the head of his driveway as the fire crawled closer.
But his crew was needed elsewhere, so DeMings turned away and went to save someone else’s home.
“It was emotional, but the adrenaline was so high that I kind of blocked it out,” he said. “I knew that I couldn’t worry about my
