Unsafe conditions kept Vernon firefighters from taking action on a cabin engulfed in flames.
Firefighters responding to a blaze in the 140 block of Commonage Road just before 9 p.m. Saturday were faced with a steep and icy driveway.
“The truck was sliding off the road and it became quite dangerous,” said Keith Green, fire chief.
Firefighters did not attempt to get to the cabin because of the treacherous driveway conditions.
To minimize the risk to the vehicle and the firefighters, a decision was made to call city staff to sand the driveway so the truck could leave the property.
Even if firefighters had been able to get to the cabin, Green insists the fire was progressed to the point that “There was nothing they could do,” to save it.
Complicating the situation was the property, just past Predator Ridge, is outside of the city’s fire protection boundary.
Firefighters generally don’t respond to blazes outside of boundaries because the city doesn’t have liability insurance for such instances.
“I authorized the crews to go because we didn’t have enough information at the time,” said Green, adding that it was originally believed the cabin was in city limits.
