Two homes were damaged by a fire in Crofton late Saturday morning.
Volunteer firefighters from four different halls — Crofton, Chemainus, Maple Bay and South End — were called to the blaze on Adelaide Street.
“It started with a shed, and before our crews could get there, it spread to two houses,” Crofton Fire Chief Ken Rukus said.
One home sustained significant damage and is not habitable at this point.
Damage to the other house was more largely limited to the exterior. An RV was destroyed along with the shed.
The Crofton fire hall currently has a full contingent of firefighters, but had to call on the neighbouring departments because of a lack of manpower on the day, and for additional equipment, like the South End hall’s aerial truck.
“We called in different halls for different assistance,” Rukus confirmed.
About 40 firefighters were on scene altogether, and it took about four hours to put out the flames and clean up.
A woodpile next to the home that sustained the most damage was a factor in making the fire grow, Rukus said, and other homeowners can take a lesson from what happened there. Woodpiles, brush and any other debris should not be located right beside a home.
“That definitely didn’t help,” Rukus said. “Anything that can burn is an issue.”
With wildfire season fast approaching, if it isn’t here already, every precaution should be taken.
“If we had been looking at a drier day with lots of wind, we could have lost a lot,” Rukus said.
