A young volunteer firefighter from the municipality of Palmarolle, in Abitibi, was surprised to be called to fight one of his first fires… at home.
“I didn’t realize at the time that I was going to lose my apartment,” says Vincent Boissonneault.
Around 5 p.m. last Monday, a fire broke out at the Timber Mart hardware store, a building next to the building where Mr. Boissonneault had lived for five years.
The man, who has been a volunteer firefighter for a year and a half, was at the grocery store when he received the call.
“When I went outside, I wondered if it was at home, but I said to myself, it doesn’t matter, if it’s not at home, it’s the same next door,” he explains.
When he arrived on the scene, the blaze was quite large, but had not yet spread to his apartment.
Take out your ammunition
Vincent Boissonneault then entered his accommodation.
“I had time to take out my rifle bullets for the hunt, I told myself that leaving that in the fire was not a good idea,” he explains.
A few minutes later, the flames ravaged his apartment and three other apartments, throwing four families into the street.
Aware that his emotions could have pushed him to make dangerous decisions to save his home, the volunteer firefighter preferred not to “garroche” himself in the fire. He preferred to help his colleagues by changing, for example, their oxygen cylinders.
Even if he lost everything, Vincent Boissonneault is resilient.
“It was definitely not the best day of my life, he admits, but I was happy that no one was caught in the fire, there were no injuries, just material losses”.
Outpouring of generosity
For the moment, the young man is temporarily staying with his father.
“I had a lot of support from my family, my friends, everyone offered me to go and live while it was happening, it was greatly appreciated,” he says, grateful.
Many Palmarollois were also, at the request of the municipality, donating clothes, furniture and hygiene products to families who lost everything in the fire.
In total, around thirty firefighters from three brigades were deployed for more than four hours to put out this impressive fire.
“It was really a big fire, especially because there was a lot of wood, paint and paint thinner in the hardware store,” says Vincent Boissonneault.
The volunteer firefighter who says he focuses on the positive is also happy with the work of the firefighters.
These saved the other buildings nearby, although his apartment could not be spared.