'A goofy, lovable guy': Family mourns loss of Danny Beale in Eastway Tank explosion
Outside Eastway Tank is a growing memorial to the victims of the explosion that killed one and left another five missing and presumed dead.
Hats, flowers, and photos are hanging on the fence just metres from one of the most deadly industrial accidents in Ottawa history.
Among them, a trio of bouquets, soft white flowers poking through Monday’s snow, and the picture of a young boy on his mother’s lap; the words “RIP Danny” written in blue marker.
“It all doesn’t seem too real to me, you just think you’re going to wake up one day and all of this was just a dream,” Jacqueline Beale, Danny’s twin sister said Monday.
The 29-year-old from Deep River, Ont. was the youngest in a family of five, if only by a matter of seconds, but to his sisters, Danny was their baby brother.
“He’s just a very sweet kind - I still want to call him a boy; he’s a big 6’2 man - but he’s a big teddy bear,” Jacqueline continued. “He’s this kind, goofy, lovable guy, like no one can say anything poorly of him.”
A tinkerer turned electrician, Danny worked on the large trucks at Eastway Tank, a skill he’d spent years acquiring through time with his father.
“I always remember him taking apart little engines and tinkering around with things, he got that from my dad, my dad’s a mechanical engineer, and they loved to look at things and put things back together,” Jacqueline said.
Beale was also an avid outdoorsman, a picture of his beaming smile as he holds up a prized fish is affixed to the Eastway Tank sign, but it’s the time at the family’s hunt camp on the Madawaska River that his siblings will treasure.
Danny Beale, 29, died in the explosion and fire at Eastway Tank in Ottawa on Jan. 13, 2022. He was an avid outdoorsman, according to his family. (Photo courtesy of Jacqueline Beale)
“He loved fishing, he was passionate about that, if he could be out fishing, that’s where he would be. He gave [his niece] her first fishing rod,” Jacqueline said.
A loving son and brother, Danny was also the proud uncle of a three-year-old niece; always eager to spend time with her, his own childlike exuberance shone through when they were together.
“My daughter didn’t care for me at all when Danny was around, it was like see you later mom, Uncle Dan is here,” Jacqueline continued. “My favourite memories are just watching Danny and my daughter be together because I had the chance to experience him throughout my years and now Olive got to experience that.”
Danny Beale, 29, died in the explosion and fire at Eastway Tank in Ottawa on Jan. 13, 2022. His twin sister Jacqueline says he was a proud and beloved uncle to his niece. (Photo courtesy of Jacqueline Beale)
Beale’s passing was a shock to the family, made more difficult by the horrific cause of his death and the lack of information surrounding the explosion. Sunday, Danny’s family drove to the Eastway Tank site to pay their respects.
“To be at the place where he last was was really hard. Everyday we get new information and then we have to process that and I think all of us are still trying to process the original blow of losing him,” Jacqueline said.
But the connection between twins is strong, and one Jacqueline says she doesn’t worry about losing.
“If he’s around and listening, I feel him wherever I go. I’ve always felt that. He’s one of those people where even though I knew he lived across Canada, I was always looking for him around me and I don’t think that’s ever going to change, and that’s comforting for me,” she said.
Beale is one of the five victims still missing, investigators yet to identify four human remains found at the site of the explosion. It’s a situation that only adds to the family’s grief.
“We’re left with this massive industrial accident where we really don’t know what’s going on day by day,” Beale said.
Investigators have not said how long the investigation could take, only that Monday’s storm was expected to hamper progress and that the investigation would take “some time.”
Still, Beale says she takes comfort knowing her brother’s spirit is with her.
“He was happy and he knew how much we cared for him, cause we would do anything for our little baby brother,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.