A Central Saanich family of four spent Sunday night in a hotel after a fire caused extensive damage to their home in the 2700-block of Skyline Crescent.
Central Saanich Fire Chief Chris Vrabel said three of the four family members were at the residence, two indoors, one outside, when the fire started on the exterior of the home. The fourth member of the family was at work at the time of the fire.
All three family members at home were able to escape without injuries as the fire spread. Its cause remains under investigation, but available evidence points to an accidental cause, said Vrabel, adding investigators are currently at the location. Vrabel added that he could not estimate the monetary damage to the house at this stage.
“I can say there is significant damage to the roof of the home, and significant water damage as well,” he said.
Vrabel said crews responded to the quickly-spreading fire just before 7 p.m. Sunday.
Central Saanich Fire on scene of a residential structure fire Skyline Cres.. No injuries but extensive damage, fire contained to the involved residence. Thanks for the assist Sidney and North Saanich Fire. pic.twitter.com/SvRrZHh0HU
— Central Saanich Fire (@CSaanichFire) March 23, 2020
“It [the residence] was well involved,” he said. “It was already showing through the roof of the structure when the first two fire trucks pulled,” he said. Once fire gets into the roof, it becomes difficult to fight, he explained, adding it was complicated by strong winds.
“It was a very difficult fire for us.”
Another reason for this fact was the proximity of other structures. “There was a real potential for the neighbouring structures to be involved where the fire started,” he said. In fact, a neighbouring home suffered some damage as heat radiating off the fire damaged windows. “But we were able to limit that damage,” he said.
A total of 27 firefighters from all three departments on the Saanich Peninsula responded to the fire, with five coming from North Saanich, four from Sidney, and the balance from Central Saanich, said Vrabel.
“We had an excellent turnout from all three departments,” said Vrabel, when asked about the effects of COVID-19 on the response rate, as members were practising social distancing with their families.
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