A possible brake issue might have caused a modular home to catch fire on Highway 3 about 11 kilometres west of Keremeos.
The Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the odd structure fire around 12:46 a.m. Monday morning.
“We got the dispatch that there was a modular on fire west of the Red Bridge and I thought OK there’s a park out there. But it was quite a bit farther than the Red Bridge and was actually a modular home on fire on Highway 3 being taken to Vancouver,” Keremeos fire chief Jordy Bosscha said.
It was the first time in his firefighting career he’d been called out to a modular home on the move that caught fire.
“We’re not sure what happened. It’s under investigation. It could be a possible brake issue that they overheated,” he said.
Bosscha said the crew of nine firefighters were on the scene for about four hours. Temperatures were chilly but bearable.
“The water was freezing up as we were fighting it, but it was OK,” he said.
The highway was closed for about three hours as crews worked to put out the blaze.
Bosscha said the most challenging part of fighting the fire was water had to be brought in from a hydrant in Keremeos as there was no other accessible water source.
“It was a long haul to bring water. Manpower was a bit of an issue but we got it done. The closest pump to where were were was just past the Fas Gas and the fire happened just west of the rockslide area,” he said.
Thankfully the home was empty.
“If it had contents in it it would have been a different fire to fight. We were glad it was empty,” he said.
No one was injured in the blaze and the remnants of the fire were picked up the next day.
