Gaston Road fire causes severe damage to Namaste grocery store, apartments
No injuries reported in blaze that quickly spread through three buildings
A fire at 21 and 23 Gaston Road has badly damaged residential units and Namaste Indian Grocery, but no one was injured in the blaze.
Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency (HRFE) District Chief Brad Connors told the Post that the fire was reported around 6:10 p.m. and that crews arrived very quickly at the three neighbouring buildings. “The initial crews got lines stretched and got on the fire to protect the exposures [nearby properties close to the fire]. Other crews came in, and we started knocking down the initial fire. Then we had crews go inside the building and do a primary search, make sure there was nobody inside,” Connors said.
The chief said around 35 or 40 firefighters were on the scene. All three buildings got “quite a bit” of damage, with some “total loss.”
Connors said an investigation would begin once the fire was fully out. When the Post was on the scene around 7 p.m., firefighters were still working to find remaining fire in “hidden spots,” the chief said.
One of the nearby residents told the Post that he had heard people screaming for help and that his wife called 9-1-1. He shared a video he shot from behind the residential buildings at 21 and 23 Gaston, in which flames were clearly visible at the top of both structures. He confirmed that HRFE arrived on the scene quickly but said the fire moved rapidly through the buildings, carried by the wind.
One of the families affected by the fire — a couple with two young children — told the Post that their employer would be putting them up in a hotel room while they sorted out what would come next.
One of the owners of Namaste was on the scene. He confirmed that the store and neighbouring apartments were badly damaged — five apartments and Namaste’s commercial space. He said several of the tenants were students, and said that he was working to connect with the tenants and see what they would need in the days to come.
This is not the first time this property has burned. In June 2016, the store building — then the Gaston Road Variety — was severely damaged in a fire that police said was deliberately set. The Post could not determine whether anyone was ever charged with arson in the 2016 fire.
Namaste Indian Grocery opened in the space in June 2021.
The Southdale and Pleasant-Woodside neighbourhoods have seen several fires since the start of the year, beginning with the February blaze at the former Sobeys property on Pleasant Street. Homes also burned on Renfrew Street and Esson Road.
District Chief Connors said that more fires are to be expected as more people move to the area. “The city is obviously growing,” he said. “With growth comes busyness for all emergency services, so we’ve really seen an increase in call volume over the last couple of years.”
If you have been affected by this fire and would like the Post to get the word out about fundraising efforts, clothing drives, or other needs, contact editor@southdartmouth.ca.
— With files from Lynnette Alford, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter