Three people escaped uninjured from a home at 8745 Chemainus Road after fire broke out Saturday night.
Chemainus Fire Department chief Al Irwin said the call came in at about 6:20 p.m. Chemainus sent four trucks while three from the Crofton Fire Department and the South End Department’s aerial truck to reach the top floor of the building also attended.
Upon arrival by firefighters, “there was flames coming out of the roof and the back door,” said Irwin.
The aerial truck was used “just to get up on the roof,” he indicated, so firefighters didn’t have to climb up there on their own.
Irwin added the flames were extinguished “fairly quickly and then just ensuring it was out, that was the biggest thing. Overall, it went pretty well.”
Firefighters were on scene for about three hours and waited for security personnel to arrive to secure the building before departing.
Irwin noted the fire started in an upper floor kitchen of the two-storey house, but will take some time to determine the exact cause. The top floor is the main living space in the house.
He said there was a significant amount of damage. “It’ll be a rebuild of some sort.”
Meanwhile, Irwin noted the Chemainus department has received 21 calls since the start of 2018.
“We’ve been really busy,” he said.
Irwin added few of the calls have been for chimney fires which is a good sign at this time of the year that people are keeping them clean.