Christina Lake fire crews were called to a house fire on Ritchie Road on June 11 around 8:30 in the evening, after a homeowner determined that an electrical fire had become too large for a fire extinguisher.
The fire started in the cedar home’s sitting room, said Christina Lake Fire Chief Joe Geary.
The chief said that the homeowner noticed that a sound system they had plugged in was not working, so they flipped the breaker and left the room. That’s when the resident smelled smoke.
Because of the cedar panels in the home and lack of drywall to dampen any flames, the fire spread quickly to the attic. Geary said that the resident, who had just arrived to their Christina Lake home that day for the summer, promptly exited the building and called 911.
Beyond the fire, Geary said that fire crews also had to deal with overgrown trees across the home’s long driveway, which impeded department vehicles from getting close to the house.
“It created a lot more work for us to run our lines down that driveway to try and get to the house,” Geary said of the trees. In response, the fire department is reminding residents to keep driveways clear of debris and to keep foliage pruned back to allow access for emergency vehicles.
Trees, Geary said, also threaten to carry flames to adjacent homes.
As for the Ritchie Road home, water and fire damage was extensive, he added.
The fire chief said that his Christina Lake department has not had to deal with such a large fire in several years.
