Dark smoke from a burning camper rose startlingly high above a Walkers Hook area neighbourhood on northern Salt Spring Island this weekend, but officials said the fire was contained to just that RV — and did not spread to surrounding properties.
Firefighters were dispatched to the 200 block of Main Street just after 5 p.m. Saturday, June 14, according to Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) Assistant Chief Ken Akerman, who said the camper was “fully involved” by the time fire crews arrived. Akerman said he saw the smoke plume all the way from Ganges Hill some four kilometres away, as he drove to meet other responding firefighters at the north-end address.
“It looked a lot bigger [from there] than when we arrived,” said Akerman. “Fortunately, the fire didn’t extend past the area of origin.”
Akerman said 18 SSIFR members worked to contain and extinguish the fire, bringing seven apparatus and using roughly 2,500 gallons of water — carried to the scene via tender trucks, as the neighbourhood is not served by hydrants. Firefighters spent about three hours at the property, according to Akerman, with BC Ambulance, RCMP and BC Hydro also attending. No cause has been determined.
As of Monday, June 16, SSIFR’s local fire hazard level remains at “high,” although that could change; the BC Wildfire Service warned a warming trend would be returning to the province this weekend, with conditions stretching into the beginning of next week, possibly increasing fire danger to “extreme.”
Burn restrictions are still in effect across Salt Spring Island; for up-to-date fire hazard conditions visit saltspringfire.com.
This story has been updated to reflect Assistant Chief Ken Akerman’s new title in the department.
The cause was known at the time: a propane tank connected to a water heater in the dilapidated trailer exploded, severely scalding the occupant. This is from his direct testimony. The property is a heavily wooded empty lot filled with several more occupied dilapidated trailers with similar propane configurations. Fortunately, the Islands Trust has investigated the situation and has taken action to immediately shut down the illegal encampment. Just kidding. They decided to take no action. I guess someone is going to have to die first or the whole neighbourhood will have to burn to the ground before anyone does anything.