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'It was terrifying' - No cause known yet in North Van house fire

Investigators are working to find out what sparked a fire that destroyed a home in North Vancouver’s Blueridge neighbourhood early Friday morning.
blueridge fire

Investigators are working to find out what sparked a fire that destroyed a home in North Vancouver’s Blueridge neighbourhood early Friday morning. The damage is so extensive, however, that even getting close to the remnants of the building is dangerous.

According to District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, the first 911 calls came in around 2:45 a.m. Friday. When crews arrived, they found the two-storey home on the 1600 block of Medwin Place fully engulfed.

The lone occupant, a woman in her 60s, was forced to dangle from her second-floor balcony and drop to the ground, breaking bones in both feet and ankles, according to neighbours.

Neighbour Cathy Pearce said she was awoken by the victim’s scream. Moments later another neighbour pounded on Pearce’s front door to let her know the nearby house was on fire.

Within 10 minutes flames were shooting straight up through the house, Pearce said.

“It was terrifying,” she said.

By the time firefighters arrived, the home was too far gone to be saved. A camping trailer and vehicle in the driveway were both also torched. Firefighters focused their efforts on stopping the blaze from growing out of control.

“It’s quite amazing. Our fire crews did such a great job protecting those neighbouring buildings and the forest is right there behind it as well. This had the potential to be so much worse,” said assistant chief Haida Siegmann.

It took firefighters about three hours to get it knocked down completely.
After the burnt-out remains were inspected by structural engineers on Monday, it was determined investigators won’t be able to sift through wreckage without the risk of the rest of the building collapsing on them. The remainder of the structure will be knocked down on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately due to the extensive damage, we wouldn’t be able to conduct an investigation like we would normally like to - all of the areas inside, working from the most damaged areas to the least,” Siegmann said. “But we will be able to get into some areas that are of interest to us on the exterior. With any luck we are going to be able to get some answers but this is a tough one.”

Investigators haven’t yet done a formal interview with the victim, who is still recovering and requires surgery for her injuries.

“She was a very lucky woman to get out of that structure,” Siegmann said.

Siegmann said the fire underscores the importance of having smoke detectors and an exit plan in every home.

“We have so much control over those first few minutes when something like this happens in our homes. We really do need to be diligent and make sure we have working smoke alarms and we know our escape routes out of our house. We should have two ways out. We preach this from the time when we’re in the schools with the little ones,” she said.

blueridge fire


North Vancouver fire investigators on the scene in Blueridge where a blaze destroyed a single-family home early Friday morning. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News