Saanich firefighters extinguished a house fire on Elkwood Drive on Feb. 15, 2019.
Officials say they believe Friday’s house fire on Elkwood Road was caused by a wood-burning stove.
The fire in the 500-block of Elkwood Road was reported just beore 1 p.m.
Frank Macdonald, deputy chief with the Saanich Fire Department, said the call came in as a report of a fire in the basement. A total of 16 firefighters responded.
“We made entry and extinguished the fire,” Macdonald said, adding crews then spent quite a bit of time searching to see if the fire had extended.
“There was quite a bit of smoke that ended up filling the whole structure.”
Macdonald said the fire was associated with a wood stove and is considered accidental. There were no injuries in fire but it did spread from the basement to the second floor.
Platoon Chief Jeevan Manhas said it possibly could have been an ember or nearby combustibles that led to the fire. He praised the homeowners with closing the doors while they were leaving, as it helped to contain the flames.
The house was still being ventilated into the afternoon.
Macdonald said the fire is a good reminder for people to be cautious when using an enclosed fireplace or an open wood-burning fireplace by making sure it’s properly sealed. He also recommends removing combustibles that are in close proximity to the fire.
“There’s quite a bit of snow around here and people are making use of wood-fire appliances,” Macdonald said.
The fire is still being investigated and the damage is estimated to be around $100,000.
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