Photo by Marc Kitteringham, Campbell River Mirror

Campbell River dock fire spread slowed thanks to security guard

Creosote docks pose challenges for fire fighters

  • May. 13, 2021 12:00 a.m.

A creosote dock at the Discovery Park industrial area north of Campbell River caught fire last night.

Crews were able to put out the fire thanks to Blanchard security guard John Devlin, who was on site and kept it at bay with an extinguisher until they arrived.

RELATED: Campbell River’s Discovery Park landfill to provide space for project-based soil disposal

“We found the fire had gotten well into the creosote structure of the wharf, so we had to spend some significant time overhauling the area. It was an area just over 10 feet in size that was burnt,” said Campbell River fire chief Thomas Doherty. “(Creosote) can be real problematic. The challenge out there is had it gotten going really good, there’s no fire boat in Campbell River to access from the water side or underneath, so that would have been a real challenge for us.”

“It was an area about ten feet. They had to use the saws to pull it apart until they got to some clean wood that was not charred to make sure that all the hot spots were out,” he added.

Doherty said the department is not sure of the cause or the extent of the damage.

There are a few companies who do work out of the area, he explained.

RELATED: More than 85 people displaced by Campbell River apartment fire

Bystanders keep fire from spreading near McIvor Lake turnoff


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