BY JOHN DECOSTE
Kings County Advertiser/Register
Firefighters, police and other emergency services had a real mess on their hands July 29 in Coldbrook.
Kentville firefighters responded shortly after 12:30 p.m. to a report of a collision between two vehicles at Exit 14 on Highway 101. On their arrival, they found the original collision between a car and a motorcycle on the off-ramp adjacent to the Wandlyn Inn had quickly turned into a chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles.
Their efforts, both at dealing with the collision and reaching the scene, were hampered by snarled traffic. Not only was traffic backed up on the exit ramp due to the accident, it was already backed up in both directions on Highway 1 by road construction. Fire chief Shawn Ripley says, at the height of the emergency, traffic was backed up to Scotian Gold to the west, the MacDougall Heights subdivision to the east and as far as Exit 13 on Highway 101.
Kings RCMP, the Kentville Police, EHS personnel and the Department of Transportation were all at the scene dealing with the accident, clearing up the traffic jam and cleaning up fluid spills from four of the vehicles.
Ultimately, the people doing the road repairs were asked to stop working and vacate the area to help alleviate the traffic jam. Once traffic was able to get moving, the congestion cleared fairly quickly.
One patient was transported to hospital and, though all five vehicles suffered damage, there were no serious injuries.
In addition to that alarm, Kentville responded July 23 to a power pole on fire on Prospect Road in North Alton, and July 24 to a campfire left unattended on Elizabeth Drive.
July 25, Kentville responded to a barbecue fire on Charles Street, and to three alarms on July 26: a fire alarm on MacDonald Park Road, a two-vehicle collision on Calkin Drive and, at almost the same time, garbage on fire on Charles Street.
July 27, firefighters responded to a smoke condition on MacDonald Park Road and, July 29, to a power pole on fire on Lydiard Drive in Centreville, making a total of nine calls for the week.
Canning firefighters responded July 27 to a medical assist on the Old Baxter’s Mill Road in Baxter’s Harbour and, July 29, to a medical assist on the Dill Branch Road in Canning.
New Minas firefighters responded July 24 to a trash fire on the edge of Highway 101, July 25 to an alarm sounding at the Highbury Education Centre in New Minas, July 26 to a two-vehicle collision on Commercial Street with minor injuries, and July 28 to a fire alarm on Shamrock Drive.
Wolfville firefighters responded early July 24 to a report of something burning on the edge of Highway 101. On searching the area in question, nothing was found to be on fire.
Waterville and District firefighters assisted paramedics July 24 at the scene of a medical emergency on the Waterville Mountain Road.
