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Don’t let your guard down, fire chief says after two house fires in Willow Point

Two house fires in Willow Point have Campbell River’s fire chief reminding residents to remain vigilant about house fires – and that working smoke alarms save lives.
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Two house fires in Willow Point have Campbell River’s fire chief reminding residents to remain vigilant about house fires – and that working smoke alarms save lives.

Just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, firefighters responded to a fire in the 2700-block of Eden Street. Two occupants were home at the time of the fire, but were unaware that the wall outside the front of the house was burning. A third resident returning home spotted the flames, and alerted the others.

All the residents were able to exit the home uninjured, and they took quick action with buckets of water to knock down the fire before crews arrived. The non-combustible siding material (cement board) limited the spread of fire.

The fire is considered suspicious and is under investigation by RCMP.

Just after 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17, firefighters responded to a house fire in the 500-block of Bartlett Road. The sound of a smoke alarm woke residents, who discovered a small appliance in the kitchen was on fire and filling the home with smoke.

One person was treated by paramedics for minor burns after removing the burning appliance from the kitchen.

“Firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire and ventilated the extremely hazardous smoke from the home,” fire chief Thomas Doherty says in a press release. “The family is extremely lucky because the smoke alarm saved their lives. This is a real-life example of the importance of having a working smoke alarm in your home.”

Doherty adds, “With the timing of these fires right after Fire Prevention Week, the City of Campbell River firefighters urge all community members to be vigilant about preventing fires. This is a 365-day-a-year effort. Please take action to ensure you have working smoke alarms installed in accordance to the BC Building Code and manufacturer recommendations – and test those smoke alarms regularly.”