An excavator was brought in, and firefighters were still attempting to extinguish a stubborn overnight barn fire in Aldergrove on Sunday morning.
Occupants of a home in the 4600-block of 256th Avenue reportedly called in the fire just before 10 p.m. on Saturday.
By the time Langley Township firefighters arrived on scene, flames were shooting 10 or more metres into the air and at least half the barn had collapsed on itself, said deputy fire chief Bruce Ferguson.
“It had burned unnoticed for a while,” he said, of the 60 X 350-foot former mushroom barn.
At least 30 firefighters and numbers trucks were dispatched to bring what Ferguson called as a stubborn fire under control.
“We just kept putting water on it,” said Ferguson, who explained that firefighters fought a “totally defensive” battle because the structure was to far gone upon arrival.
He was informed by dispatch that it was a marijuana grow op, but could not confirm if it was legal operation or not.
“We did hear a number of small explosions while we were fighting the fire,” he said, but nothing that caused them further concern. Because it’s a wood frame and metal clad building, Ferguson explained that the wood burns and the metal sheets fall onto each other, holding in the heat and flames and making it a more difficult blaze to extinguish. That’s often why excavators are brought in to help ensure the fire is out.
At the peak of the blaze, one fire truck and team were also dispatched to a neighbouring farm where residents spotted flying embers and feared the fire could spread to their horse barn, but Ferguson said it was fortunate nothing developed. The fire occurred just a few doors north of Coghlan Fundamental Elementary.
As for the cause of the fire, it’s still unclear.
“We may never know,” he said.
