Firefighters quick actions and an old metal door are being credited for limiting the damage in a house fire in Courtenay early Friday morning.
Courtenay fire chief Don Bardonnex says the call came in around 12:30 a.m. of a fire in a single-family home in the 1700-block of Lewis Avenue.
Initial reports suggested an occupant and pet were inside.
Bardonnex said an initial search found no one in the building, which was confirmed following a second search.
The fire chief says 27 firefighters took on the blaze, which was contained to an addition to the back of the house and suppressed quickly.
Bardonnex says the proficiency in which the firefighters handled the flames is a testament to the use of Courtenay’s fire training centre that was built a few years ago.
Although the attached structure was badly damaged, Bardonnex said a metal exterior door left in place when the addition of the house was built, helped stop the spread of the fire to the main part of the home.
Bardonnex said smoke cleanup is needed.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
CHEK News
