The MHA for Grand Falls-Windsor-Buchans is offering his thanks to the mother of one of the students involved in a volleyball tournament in Deer Lake who went door-to-door at the Driftwood Inn Saturday morning to make sure everyone got out of the burning building.
Melinda Sharpe of Grand Falls-Windsor is being hailed for her heroic actions—suffering an injury to her wrist in the process.
Chris Tibbs, a former paramedic, told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly he and all the parents and patrons of the hotel are thankful for her quick-thinking and selfless response.
Tibbs says the fire had the potential to be one of the worst tragedies the province has seen in some time. “She was the lady who banged on the doors and made sure everybody was up at 7:00 in the morning to get out. I spoke to her and of course, she’s shaken up still,” says Tibbs. “What a heroic woman, what a thing to do Melinda, we thank you, the parents thank you, the community thanks you.”
Meanwhile, a councillor in the town of Deer Lake is praising the response from the community and beyond.
While there were no major injuries, the building is a total loss, leaving three young men from India with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Three of these men who were living at the Inn have been displaced by fire (Submitted)
Councillor Amanda Freake says emergency housing was found for the men last night. The town has been working with local businesses to find the men jobs, and they are working with Immigration as well – given that all of the men’s documents were lost in the blaze.
Freake praises the outpouring of support in the wake of the fire.
She says food banks, thrift stores, local businesses, and different levels of government have all been helping.
Freake applauds the work of the fire department, which has some younger people in it, and members of the town’s public works department, for what she calls an “incredible” response.
She says things could have been much worse.
Freake says it’s a “miracle” that other nearby buildings weren’t damaged. She says trees next door are still standing with the leaves on them. She says crews did everything they could to ensure nothing else was lost.
