A dryer was burned during a fire on Tyee Drive on Sept. 4. Photo Credit : Campbell River Fire Department.
The Campbell River fire chief is reminding residents to test their smoke alarms regularly after the fire department dealt with three fires in four days in the Willow Point area.
On Saturday night, crews were called to a garage fire on Apple Drive. When firefighters arrived, they saw black smoke coming from the garage of a home. The fire was contained to the garage and RCMP are investigating the cause of the fire.
Then on Monday, firefighters extinguished a kitchen fire on Varsity Drive. The next day, crews put out a dryer fire on Tyee Drive. The fire caused heavy black smoke to fill the second floor of the Tyee Drive house and displaced a family of four.
All three fires occurred just over two weeks after a blaze destroyed a home on Joanne Drive in Willow Point. That house fire was caused by spontaneous combustion from oil-stained rags.
“The rash of fires are not connected in any way, but they indicate the increase in demand for service in the south as the city continues to see growth,” Campbell River Fire Chief Thomas Doherty said in a statement.
Doherty said to minimize fire damage and injuries, it’s important to have early detection by a smoke alarm, early notification of the fire, a call to the fire department and a fast response time by firefighters. He is reminding residents to test their smoke alarms regularly to ensure they’re functioning.
“The early detection of smoke by a smoke alarm may be your only chance of escaping a fire safely,” Doherty said.
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