Four people were able to escape from a house fire Wednesday evening due to a smoke alarm.
Campbell River firefighters were called to a home on Murray Place just before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday evening when the 911 dispatch centre received several calls indicating there was a house on fire with visible flames.
Rebecca Ravenstein lives next door and says she arrived home before firefighters got there.
“So I ran in and got my dogs and by the time I came back out and the fire trucks were just pulling in, the whole front of the garage was just full flames and it just went right up the front of the house,” said Ravenstein.
The entire front of the home was completely engulfed in flames with an RV in the driveway also catching fire when the fire trucks pulled up.
“As the truck came up the road bringing the hydrant line in, the fire had actually gone all the way across the front of the house and was starting down the sides of the house and so the first two lines that were deployed were to protect the two homes on either side of the fire property,” said Campbell River Deputy Fire Chief Kelly Bellefleur.
Four people who were home at the time as well as several cats escaped the flames.
A working smoke detector is getting the credit.
“This is a prime example of where a smoke alarm can make the difference,” added Bellefleur
The cause hasn’t been determined but firefighters are focusing their investigation on the garage area.
There were no injuries but the home is likely a complete loss.
Dean Stoltz
