Shockwaves
A neighbouring home and office building need extensive repairs and some nearby businesses are still closed or working off-site after the Aug. 7 house fire and explosion in Queen Charlotte.
Firefighters and others at the scene suffered concussions from the blast, and last week a visiting audiologist saw people for related hearing loss.
A police investigation of the fire and explosion at 622 7th Street is underway, but no charges have been laid as of press time.
Investigators found blasting caps and other live industrial explosives scattered around the house where the fire started — bystanders said it all started with a roofing torch.
Under B.C. law, detonators and explosives must be registered and stored at least 400 metres away from a group of buildings, and further depending on their explosive potential.
“People were really shaken, figuratively and literally,” said Queen Charlotte Mayor Greg Martin, who felt the blast several streets over at the village office.
“The blast was so loud that people in Sandspit were convinced it was in Sandspit.”
Martin said volunteer firefighters are the most popular people in town right now, and he especially commended the Skidegate crew for building up its squad to 21 members.
Burning violation
Volunteer firefighters from Masset got called to an illegal brush fire at a farm north of Port Clements on Aug. 9.
The fire was nearly out by the time they arrived, but firefighters had to respond.
All open burning has been banned on Haida Gwaii since July 25, and a campfire ban started Aug. 8.
So far Haida Gwaii has escaped any wildfires in what has already been the third-worst wildfire season in B.C. history, but as of press time Monday the risk of one starting on island is once again listed as “extreme.”
“Please respect the ban,” said Sylvan Daugert, deputy fire chief for Masset, adding that people should report any concerns about fire ban violations by calling 1-800 663-5555 or dialling *5555 on a cellphone.
Zoning for housing
Queen Charlotte councillors voted in a new zoning bylaw last week that encourages tiny homes and secondary suites to ease an apparent housing shortage.
The bylaw also sets new requirements for parking and bicycle parking, allows for backyard livestock in rural residential areas, and outlines the rules for future cannabis retailers.
Once it is legalized federally, cannabis retailers will need to have a Village of Queen Charlotte business licence, a storefront in the village’s central retail or industrial zone, and be at least 200 metres from any school. Cannabis retailers won’t be allowed to open next door to one another.
One housing item that did not make the final bylaw was a requirement for Airbnb-style rentals to have the owner or long-term resident living in an adjacent principal residence.
After several public meetings, Queen Charlotte Mayor Greg Martin said it was clear that few residents supported the change, even though it would only affect a couple of the dozens of Airbnb owners in town. The residency requirement would have forced non-resident owners to rent their homes to long-term tenants rather than to short-term visitors.
“I was really surprised about the amount of pushback,” Martin said. “I thought it was a good compromise myself, and at council we were of one mind on that.”
“Local government is a type of leadership, and if you get out too far in front of the people it’s like when you’re leading a parade and you turn around and there’s nobody behind you.”
