Seven people and one pet have been displaced from their homes after a kitchen fire in Colwood.
Residents of the upstairs and downstairs units of the home in the 2300-block of Marlene Drive are displaced for the time being, according to Scott Abrahamson, assistant fire chief with Colwood Fire.
“In the lower suite because of fire damage, and the upstairs suite, it’s just because we’ve had to isolate power to the structure,” he said in a phone interview with CHEK News.
Abrahamson says the call came in around 9:12 p.m., and because of the agreement between West Shore fire departments, 25 firefighters from Colwood, Langford and View Royal were on the scene within minutes.
The fire damage was able to be contained to the kitchen.
“We were able to release many once the fire was contained and it was contained quickly but it just highlights how effective our relationships are,” Abrahamson said.
One of the people in the house was treated for smoke inhalation as a precaution, and Abrahamson said there were no other injuries. The seven displaced people have temporary housing through the Emergency Support Services.
No official cause has been determined for the kitchen fire in Colwood as of yet, but Abrahamson says he would like to use this as a chance to remind people not to leave cooking unattended.
“Anytime we’re cooking, please be diligent and stay in the kitchen,” Abrahamson said.
He also says the residents were able to be alerted to the fire quickly due to their smoke alarms, so he would like to remind people to check to make sure smoke alarms are working and active.
West Shore RCMP also attended the fire, but the scene has been turned over to Colwood Fire since it is not criminal in nature.
Laura Brougham
