A fire destroyed a large wood house on Blackwater Road at Bouchie Lake on the evening of April 11.
Both people in the house and their dogs escaped without injury.
The Bouchie Lake Volunteer Fire Department (BLVFD) members received the call just before 8 p.m.
They responded with one fire engine and two water tender trucks, and West Fraser Volunteer Fire Department also responded with an engine and a tender.
In total, 20 firefighters from the two departments fought the blaze.
“We arrived on scene to a fully engulfed upper floor,” says BLVFD fire chief Jeff Lefebvre.
“The house was all wood from the log walls to the vaulted ceiling, so it went up fast.”
A lot of water was required to douse the fire, he adds.
“We put nine loads (from the tenders) plus a load each from the engines on the fire which is equal to 20,000 gallons.”
“It was at the end of our [fire service] border but with West Fraser’s help shuttling water we were able to keep up with demand from our attack lines.”
He adds the firefighters were able to keep the blaze from spreading to neighboring buildings.
Lefebvre says the fire may have started when a burning ember from the wood stove landed on the cedar shake roof.
