It was a Wednesday evening like any other for Andrew Goodsell, who was settling into his tent at the Lower Flinn Park encampment in Halifax for the night, when he heard a large explosion go off nearby.
Goodsell was in the middle of listening to the radio report about the devastating fires in California when another blaze had started mere feet away from his tent.
“I unzip my tent, and I look back and there’s a roaring fire going on,” Goodsell said.
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“So, I called 911 right away and as I’m talking to the dispatcher letting them know there’s a fire, I’m grabbing my gear and trying to get out of my tent because I’m close enough that I’m worried it’s going to come over or debris would come flying my way. And another explosion goes off while I’m on the phone with the dispatcher.”
Goodsell has been living outside with his rescue dog, Dusty, for almost a year.
He said while outreach efforts seem better than ever before, he thinks they are misdirected.
“I think we got to stop giving people these heaters and start giving them knowledge and the skills to survive in this kind of situation if that’s what the city expects people to do.”
Watch the video at the top for the full story.
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