UPDATE: 2:30 p.m. Friday
A single mother of multiple children was not at home when a fire tore through her Pleasant Valley Road home in Vernon.
Jim Edinger, a neighbour who called 911 after noticing the blaze, said the fire began at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 25.
“You couldn’t see the house, just a big cloud of light brown smoke,” Edinger said and added that he didn’t hear any noise when the fire began. “You could tell it was all burning.”
After noticing the fire and calling for the fire department’s aid, Edinger said he went to check on his neighbours.
“I went and pounded on the door, but there was no answer,” he said. “She won’t be happy when she comes home to see this.”
Bill Wacey, BX-Swan Lake fire chief, said four units from his department alongside two from the Armstrong Fire Department were dispatched. A total of 18 firefighters were on scene.
“When we arrived on the scene there was smoke coming from the eaves,” Wacey said. “We went in and found there was a working fire in the basement.”
Firefighters were able to knock down the fire accordingly, but Wacey said a crew will remain on scene for overhaul.
“Now we’re trying to see what we can salvage for the homeowner,” Wacey said.
The homeowner, whom Edinger said has five children, has since been in contact with the fire department and is making arrangements, Wacey said.
After ensuring that the blaze was fully-suppressed, Wacey said an investigation will take root.
“At this time, we don’t see anything suspicious,” he said.
The Morning Star followed up with BX-Swan Lake Assistant Fire Chief Stephen Hidasi Friday.
“The origin was in the basement and was due to smoke and heat damage,” said Hidasi. “This is completely typical. A neighbour called us in after seeing smoke and the family actually heard about the fire from the Morning Star [Facebook live] live stream.”
He said Emergency Social Services and the Red Cross were immediately called to assist the family. Firefighters remained on scene for about three hours in order to secure the building and ensure the house was clear.
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Original
Firefighters have knocked down a house fire at 7400 Pleasant Valley Road in Vernon.
Jim Edinger, a neighbour who called 911, said he could tell there was a fire right away.
“You couldn’t see the house, just a big cloud of light brown smoke. You could tell it was all burning,” Edinger said.
Edinger said the home belongs to a single mother with multiple children. He didn’t hear a sound when the fire began.
“I went and pounded on the door but there was no answer, ” he said. “She won’t be happy when she comes home to see this.”
More to come…
