Crews attended a fire at the Rod and Reel Resort on Nov. 9, 2020. File Photo by Mike Chouinard, Campbell River Mirror

Resort cabin near Campbell River burns down

One injured in incident

  • Nov. 10, 2020 12:00 a.m.

A cabin at a resort south of Campbell River burned to the ground on Nov. 9, with one person injured.

Campbell River fire crews attended the fire at the Rod and Reel Resort on the South Island Highway.

“The first truck arrived on scene, they found one of the cabins completely engulfed in flames. Fortunately, the resident of the unit managed to get out,” said deputy fire chief Kelly Bellefleur. “She sustained some injuries, likely smoke inhalation and possibly burns and was transported to the hospital by BC Ambulance Service early on in the call.”

Only one cabin was affected by the fire, however that cabin was completely destroyed in the blaze. Three apparatus and one rehabilitation rescue truck were on scene, with 16 firefighters. Crews were on scene for hours working to get the fire out and to ensure it hadn’t spread to other structures.

“It was a small cabin, there was no extension to any other cabins near by. There was only one resident displaced because of it,” Bellefleur explained.

Though it was not a hazmat incident, Bellefleur said that standard protocol for the department is to decontaminate the gear of any firefighter who goes inside a building on fire before returning to the station.

“It’s just strictly a decontamination process. All the particles, insulation and various things that get on the turnout gear, we wash that stuff off. It was not a hazmat call,” he said. “The way it laid out yesterday, the rescue truck, which is set up to do this rehab work, was spread out near the highway, and it had a big light on it. It was sort of a beacon. The fire was happening back in the property a bit. It may have looked from afar like something different than it was.”

The cause of the fire is unknown, and investigators were working on Tuesday to determine the reason for the fire.

RELATED: Campbell River Fire crews busy with two incidents on Saturday night

Semi-truck crash near Woss remains under investigation by the Port McNeill RCMP


marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

Campbell River Mirror