Townsite residence damaged by fire

A fire at a Cedar Street residence in Townsite has resulted in extensive damage to the main floor of the residence.

Powell River Fire Rescue deputy chief Rocky Swanson said the fire department received notification of the fire just before 9 pm on February 26. He said the fire department was on scene within six minutes.

“It was a 2,000 square-foot home, two-and-a-half-storeys, and the fire was on the main floor,” said Swanson. “Fire damage is extensive only to the main floor. The rest of the house is basically smoke damage.

“We had a four-man career crew on at the time of the fire, so that allowed them to do an interior, aggressive attack, very quickly. It’s rare, because we usually don’t have four firefighters on shift.”

Swanson said as a result, there was a quick knockdown of the fire. He said that a search had to be conducted because occupancy of the house was unknown.

“As far as we know, there was only one gentleman living there, in his later 70s or early 80s, who had mobility issues,” said Swanson. “Between the firefighters and the neighbours, they were able to get him away from the house. He had no serious injuries. He did not spend the night in the hospital. The paramedics checked him out.”

Swanson said the firefighters hammered the fire upon arrival, meaning it was not progressing.

“We were able to hold it,” said Swanson. “Once more auxiliary firefighters were on scene, the total time to extinguish the fire was about 20 minutes. We had about 20 of us on scene.

“We had a really good turnout. We finished training with the last group of recruits that we hired nearly three years ago. The are finally fully certified and it’s making a major difference for us.”

Swanson said there are only 15 auxiliaries in Powell River, and they are not always all available, but at this structure fire, and the one on Cook Avenue over the weekend, everyone has been basically available.

He said that if the four career firefighters hadn’t been on duty, there is a chance the house could have burned to the ground. Fires double in size every 30 seconds, so those first 10 minutes are critical, he added. The firefighters quickly connected to the fire hydrant and had water on the fire rapidly. According to Swanson, the firefighters were completely dialed in.

Swanson said he will be investigating the cause of the fire.

“It looks to be accidental,” added Swanson. “It’s not suspicious in any way. It’s likely electrical.”

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