Piles of blackened rubble are all that remain of two homes after fire ripped through a tourist resort south of Powell River on the morning of Wednesday, September 28.
Crews from Malaspina Volunteer Fire Department responded to the emergency call at a property near Myrtle Point just after 8 am and brought in Powell River Fire Rescue at 8:30 am when it was clear that assistance was necessary.
Despite the homes being lost in the fire, there were no reported injuries to either firefighters or residents, said Malaspina fire chief Dave Keiver.
“Everyone got out safely and were all looked after by Red Cross emergency social services volunteers,” said Keiver.
According to Powell River Fire Rescue deputy chief Rocky Swanson, seven people, including children, were taken into care.
Oceanside Resort owner Ron Radons said he and other residents noticed one house on fire at 7:55 am and helped evacuate the residents. Half of the resort is dedicated to long-term housing, including the two homes destroyed.
Powell River RCMP closed a section of Highway 101 between Pebble Beach Road and Maris Road for several hours while the blaze was being doused.
The fire’s cause and ignition point have yet to be determined, but Keiver said his department has opened an investigation.
Once the fire gathered strength, it spread quickly through the tightly clustered neighbourhood.
Swanson said that by the time his crew of 10 firefighters arrived on scene, both houses were beyond the point of saving, so efforts were put into containing the blaze and preventing it from spreading.
“Our guys worked really hard to save that third house. There’s no question the fire would have penetrated it, too,” said Swanson. “There was nothing we could do, other than prevent the third house from catching fire. Once a structure is that involved there is no amount of water to save it.”
Both homes were located near the Highway 101 side of the property and once the first house caught, the wind helped push the fire toward the highway and the second house, said Radons.
“I don’t think it was even within 10 minutes and the second home was engulfed,” he said.
The fire spread swiftly into the attics of both homes, making extinguishing the blaze more challenging, said Swanson. Fire crews attacked from the outside through windows and doors, wherever they could gain access to the flames.
Though the departments did not run out of water, there were supply problems. A water-main rupture inside the city limits halted the flow of water to the hydrant nearest to the blaze and pushed firefighters further into Powell River to resupply their tenders, said Swanson.
City director of infrastructure Tor Birtig said the rupture’s cause is being investigated and said it may have been caused by the hydrant being closed too quickly.
Birtig said his department was notified about the break after the hydrant had been used by the fire department. Swanson said there was no threat of the crews running out of water.
Once the fire was contained, Keiver called in a backhoe to knock down what remained of the structures and ensure the fire was completely extinguished.
“The fire had been burning in the attic for several hours and pretty much the only thing holding it up was the metal roof,” said Keiver. “There was a collapse issue.”
The extent of the damage to the structures may make it more difficult for fire investigators to determine the cause, said Keiver.
Half of the city’s crew remained on site until 1:30 pm as a precaution, said Swanson.
Keiver’s crews doused the rubble and kept watch for hotspots until 3:30 pm that afternoon. Highway 101 reopened shortly after efforts wrapped up.
Radons said one family had lived at the resort since 2009 and the other since 2014. Radons confirmed that the families’ pets were saved.
“TVs can be replaced, but their photos can’t,” said Radons. “It’s a terrible tragedy and I feel for the people who lost their belongings.”
GoFundMe campaigns have been set up for the families at gofundme.com/2ru8wmk and gofundme.com/2rrut2z7.
