Campbell River Fire and Rescue responded to a multiple emergency calls last week at different homes in Campbell River.
On Wednesday (Dec. 16), firefighters responded to a call of a garage on fire at a residence on South McPhedran Street to find the homeowner had mostly taken care of the dangerous situation by the time they arrived.
Members attending only had to ensure the fire was fully out, but Chief Ian Baikie says there is still a lesson to be learned from the incident.
"The homeowner had cleaned out his wood stove and was keeping what he thought were cold ashes in his garage," says Chief Ian Baikie. "They weren't cold after all, obviously, as they managed to light the surrounding furniture and other items on fire.
"People need to realize that ashes from stoves need to be stored in a metal container of some kind away from their homes until they can be properly disposed of, however they want to do eventually that."
Then, on Friday (Dec. 18) around noon, two engines and teams of firefighters responded to a residential fire on Merecroft Road near the four-way intersection at Alder Street.
Though the exact cause was still under investigation as of Friday night, Baikie says an electrical issue of some kind started the fire on a lower level of the residence before spreading inside the walls of the house and up into the ceiling.
"We've determined there's nothing criminal in nature, but we haven't yet pinpointed the combination of issues that caused the initial spark," Baikie said.
One of the residents of the home was transported to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Another resident was treated on scene before accompanying their partner to hospital.
Baikie said the residents will likely be unable to return to their home for a short time – maybe a couple of days – until the effects of the smoke dissipates, at which point they will have some significant cleanup to undertake, "but it's nothing that can't be fixed up."