Grand Forks fire crews spent Wednesday afternoon attacking a house fire off Brown Creek Road approximately 21 kilometres north of Grand Forks. The fire reportedly consumed one house close to standing timber, though BC Wildfire Service said that it did not spread beyond the structure.
As of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a neighbour said that fire crews had managed to significantly knock down the flames.
A paramedic team was also called to the scene at 1:49 p.m., but a spokesperson for BC Emergency Health Services said that there were no patients to tend to.
“It’s not uncommon to have paramedics standby for major structure fires for potential care of fire first responders,” they explained.
BC Wildfire Service confirmed with the Gazette that an initial attack crew was also dispatched to the fire, but because wildfire firefighters are not trained for structure blazes the crew is mainly attending to support with equipment and ensure that the flames do not spread to the surrounding area.
The Grand Forks fire department had water trucks on site to douse the fire, which had consumed much of the structure before they arrived. The fire department was called back later Wednesday, at approximately 10 p.m., when neighbours noticed flames growing in the brush surrounding the scorched house. Crews remained on site for several hours and, after extinguishing the newly risen flames, scoured the area with a thermal camera to confirm that hot spots were extinguished.
