A Christmas morning fire at Lougheed Highway and Old Dewdney Trunk Road in Pitt Meadows that displaced five people appeared to have started by accident inside an RV that was serving as home to some of those people, said Pitt Meadows Fire and Rescue deputy chief David Biggin.
It quickly spread from the RV to to a nearby barn that was apparently being used as a workshop.
By the time fire crews were called, it was too late to save the structure, Biggin told the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows News on Sunday, Dec. 27.
“Any barn, it’s dry, old timber,” Biggin remarked.
“It was spreading too rapidly.”
There were 23 firefighters at the scene from 3:50 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Christmas morning, then a number went back a few hours later for mopping up.
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Two RVs and the barn were destroyed.
Biggin said there was no power, running water or gas service to the site.
“It’s a bit of a derelict property,” Biggin said.
Fire crews had to use a relay connection to bring water in from a hydrant 1100 feet away, what Biggin described as a “significant” distance, using a pumper truck between the hydrant and the fire trucks at the scene to boost pressure.
No one was injured, and the five displaced residents of the property were being looked after by emergency services, Biggin said.
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
