Firefighters and townspeople put out a house fire that threatened the Boundary community of Westbridge last Wednesday, Aug. 4.
Mike Daloise, Chief at Midway Fire and Rescue (MFR), said the fire started at around 5:45 a.m., burning to the ground a family home on the 3,000-block of Blythe-Rhone Road. A man living at the residence was able to get out safely, Daloise said, adding that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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“There was a massive risk of a larger area wildfire,” he said, noting that BCWS firefighters found chunks of the home burning in bushes just 100 metres away. MFR volunteers arrived on-scene at around 6:15 a.m., joining people from neighbouring homes who’d come out to fight the flames.
Westbridge is out of MFR’s fire protection area, but Daloise said he sent a small crew at the request of the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).
The public is reminded to immediately report wildfires to the BCWS’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-663-5555 or (*5555 from a cell phone).
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A fire early Wednesday, Aug. 4, destroyed this family home in Westbridge. Photo: Submitted
