A speedy response up an out-of-the-way Salt Spring Island road helped keep a structure fire contained, according to officials, who said crews were able to put out a dark-and-stormy-night fire before it spread.
Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) crews were paged at 12:33 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18, in the midst of a major thunder and lightning storm, for a report of a structure fire at a Wright Road address. The first crew inside found a strong smell of smoke on the main floor, according to SSIFR Capt. Warren Nuyens, and saw smoke coming out of the crawlspace vents.
Firefighters then entered the crawlspace to look for flames.
“The crews had no visibility,” said Nuyens, adding that heavy smoke was encountered from floor to ceiling. A thermal imaging camera was employed, he said, and the fire was found to be extending up into the floor joists.
“A two-firefighter attack crew extinguished the fire, using 350 gallons of water,” said Nuyens. “The fire was knocked down at 1:06 a.m. Pretty good win for the crew there.”
Firefighters remained at the scene, Nuyens said, venting the structure and checking to ensure there was no spread. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Despite rain from the recent storm — and a reduction in the forest fire danger level to “low” on Salt Spring Island as of Monday — a ban on outdoor burning persists; current conditions and burn prohibitions can be viewed at saltspringfire.com. For updates on events that could pose a risk to property or public safety, Nuyens suggested following both SSIFR and the Salt Spring Island Emergency Program on social media.