Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) got a call about a vehicle fire in the 400 block of Rainbow Road at 1:24 a.m. on July 2. Arriving six minutes after the call came in, firefighters found a fire blazing in a vehicle, which had ignited a nearby garage and house.
SSIFR’s assistant chief Mitchell Sherrin credited the actions of the first firefighters to arrive for saving the home from the flames. Capt. Warren Nuyens and firefighter Clayton Akerman “laid a water-supply line down the driveway, and then deployed a deck gun, and stretched a hose line to catch the fire before it got deep into the building — all in the span of a couple of minutes,” Sherrin stated in a news release. “Without their outstanding work in those first few minutes, the house would’ve been lost.”
Two people in the house were evacuated without injuries. While the vehicle was destroyed, the garage suffered moderate damage and the residents were able to return home that same morning.
Eight firefighters and four firefighting apparatus stayed on scene until 5 a.m., using a water-tender shuttle to supply the 2,250 gallons of water needed as well as monitoring for safety and investigating the fire. The RCMP and the BC Emergency Health Services ambulance crew also attended.
The investigation has deemed the vehicle fire suspicious, and SSIFR personnel are working with the RCMP on their police file.