Alberni Valley firefighters worked late on Saturday night to contain a house fire to one structure and stop it from spreading to neighbouring homes.
The Port Alberni Fire Department was called to a structure fire in the 4700-block of Margaret Street just after 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. Firefighters arrived to find “heavy fire involvement,” said fire chief Mike Owens.
“Our initial objective was keeping the fire at bay so it didn’t spread to the houses on either side,” he explained.
The department enacted its mutual aid agreement, drawing a response from Beaver Creek, Cherry Creek and Sproat Lake volunteer fire departments. The crews, with four engines and a ladder truck, worked throughout the night to extinguish the fire and left the scene at 4:15 a.m.
“It was a stubborn fire,” said Owens. “We were opening up walls and finding fire there. It was just one of those situations that took a long time.”
In the end, the house received “extensive fire damage,” but none of the neighbouring homes were damaged.
One resident was at home at the time of the fire, but she was able to self-evacuate and was uninjured in the fire.
According to Owens, the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
“But at this time we have no reason to believe it was suspicious,” he added.
elena.rardon@albernivalleynews.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
