Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) firefighters battled against extreme cold and high winds for six hours on Friday night after responding to reports of a residential structure fire at 8:12 p.m.
According to a SSIFR press release, upon arrival at 105 Cusheon Place, crews found a fully involved, two-storey residential structure fire.
“Multiple lines were used to contain the fire to the building of origin and to protect adjacent structures and trees,” states the release. “Eight fire apparatus and 21 firefighters responded to the scene and approximately 12,000 gallons of water was shuttled from the Beddis water system.”
No firefighters were injured.
The structure, which was unoccupied at the time of the fire, was a total loss. SSIFR said the fire is currently under investigation but does not currently look suspicious.
SSIFR thanked the RCMP, BC Hydro, BCAS and Emcon for their assistance at the emergency scene.
SSIFR personnel also extinguished a recreational vehicle fire on private property on Aust Way on Thursday, Jan. 11.
Sixteen firefighters and six trucks responded to reports of the blaze, a robust response which SSIFR Deputy Chief Dale Lundy said was partly out of precaution and partly due to the need to bring water to fight the fire at what could have been a relatively remote site — up a road that was once a driveway on the west side of Fulford-Ganges Road.
“Most of what you saw rolling was the tankers that carry water,” said Lundy, “because where we were heading there isn’t much. It’s better to have, and not need, than to need, and not have.”
Lundy said the initial report was also that the RV fire was threatening nearby homes, which thankfully was found to not be the case once they arrived; there was an outbuilding adjacent to the RV, but it wasn’t affected. Nobody was home at the time, according to Lundy, who said he saw heavy flames and smoke as he arrived.
“It was good to have the manpower,” he added. “We definitely used all the people fighting the fire.”
The trailer was fully engulfed when the first firefighters came on the scene, Lundy said, and the blaze was successfully contained to the single RV. There were “too many variables” to be able to determine what started it, he said.
“But we can say that we didn’t find anything suspicious,” said Lundy.