No one was injured after a house fire on Bishop Crescent in Port Alberni, where the city’s fire chief says crews arrived to heavy smoke and large flames.
Firefighters from the Port Alberni Fire Department were alerted to the blaze in the 3700 block around 8:45 a.m. Sunday, and when pulling up they saw “heavy smoke and fire from the second storey,” says Fire Chief Mike Owens.
In an interview with CHEK News, he says the fire was initially reported as a chimney fire, but as crews were on their way it was upgraded to a structure fire.
Once on scene, “crews worked to suppress the fire,” according to Owens. He says about a dozen firefighters responded, and crews from the Cherry Creek Fire Department also provided mutual aid.
As they battled the flames, the stretch of Bishop Cresent between Haslam Drive and Grieve Road was closed to vehicle traffic, reads a tweet from Port Alberni Fire.
Owens says no one was home at the time of the fire, so there are no injuries to report.
He says the fire was knocked down by 9:50 a.m., and the cause is now under investigation, though criminality is not suspected.
“We haven’t even started our investigation yet,” said Owens, adding, “We will be commencing it tomorrow (Monday).” He says RCMP won’t be involved in the investigation, as the fire isn’t suspicious and wasn’t on federal land.
The fire on Bishop is now out. All units are returning to station.
— Port Alberni Fire (@portalbernifire) September 10, 2023
Ethan Morneau
