Two North Vancouver residents are out of their home following a house fire Tuesday afternoon.
The call came in to North Vancouver City Fire Department just before 3:15 on the 300-block of East 12th Street.
“We arrived within three minutes. There was smoke coming from the basement on the east side,” said assistant fire chief Greg Schalk.
A neighbour called 911 while the home’s owner tried putting out the fire with his garden hose from outside. City fire crews, with help from District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services members, attacked the fire at its source.
“We determined that all occupants were out of the building. We quickly knocked the fire down and checked that there was no extension anywhere into the attic or any other parts of the building,” Schalk said.
Fire investigators were back on the scene Wednesday to look for the exact cause, but they believe it started in the fireplace. It is not considered suspicious.
There is significant fire damage in the basement and smoke damage throughout the rest of the home. It will be up to the insurers to determine whether the house can be salvaged but the structure appeared to be intact, Schalk said. No one was injured in the blaze.
Schalk said the incident is a reminder that fireplaces require ongoing maintenance to be safe.
“Anytime you use a fireplace, there’s an inherent risk that something bad could happen. Ensure that every year it’s inspected and cleaned and in proper working over,” he said.
