Long weekends are always a busy time for first responders and Thanksgiving was no exception.
The Chemainus Fire Department had a series of calls, beginning Friday at a home on Panorama Ridge.
“The structure fire on Panorama Ridge was an electrical outlet fire and is reportable to the Fire Commissioner as a structure fire,” noted Martin Drakeley, manager of fire and bylaw services for the Municipality of North Cowichan.
Chemainus firefighters also attended a two-vehicle accident on the Trans Canada Highway during the weekend, along with the B.C. Ambulance Service and RCMP.
The jaws of life was used to extract occupants of one vehicle, but no serious injuries were reported. The B.C. Air Ambulance Services helicopter was dispatched to the scene as a matter of procedure, but its services weren’t required.
Another call took Chemainus firefighters to a hog fuel pile that typically flares up from time to time.
Just as the weekend was done, a call came in Tuesday morning from a resident along Fuller Lake who spotted flames across the lake. Chemainus firefighters responded to find two burn piles in the backyard of a residence.
They checked it out thoroughly and found it wasn’t a cause for further concern before departing.
Residents are reminded some open burning is permitted now in the Cowichan Valley Regional District and Municipality of North Cowichan that might explain smoke or fire activity.