A MOTHER and child got out of their home safely after a fire ignited on their back porch July 14.
Fifteen firefighters came out six minutes after the city fire department received multiple calls about a blaze on Cory Drive at about 3:40 p.m., said Terrace fire chief John Klie.
“There were multiple calls so the guys knew it was a big fire,” said Klie.
It’s believed to have started in the back of the house and burned up into the rafters and attic space right away, said Klie.
“It wasn’t a barbecue for sure,” he said about the cause of the fire. “It happened right at a particular corner so there’s only a couple of things it could’ve been.”
The fire department investigated the blaze that same day and the insurance investigators have been checking it over.
“It looked like it started in the back right as you look at the house. There’s a little bit of a patio back there and it looks like it did come off the kitchen,” said Klie, adding he didn’t want to state what he believed was the cause until he compared notes with the insurance company investigators.
The homeowners have moved out for the time being, seeing as the roof is pretty much gone.
“The house, from what I can see, is definitely salvageable,” said Klie, adding that he’s seen similar blazes in Kitimat where some homeowners made repairs while others tore it all down and rebuilt.
Siding burned on the neighbour’s house will probably have to be replaced, but thankfully the wind wasn’t blowing hard and was blowing toward the back of the house.
“It’s good that we got a lot of fire calls for this,” said Klie about the neighbours’ actions.
“The neighbours kind of watch out for each other,” he added, saying that the residents did the right thing to get out of the house and away from the blaze as fast as they could.
