A sharp nose and a quick 9-1-1 call likely saved a Canyon Heights neighbourhood home from total destruction Wednesday night.
District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services received an emergency dispatch just after 8 p.m. from a homeowner on Sarita Place who smelled smoke but couldn’t find the source.
“We found some fire smouldering in the wall space, working its way up into the attic space. Crews accessed the wall and attic and suppressed the fire,” said assistant chief Dave Burgess.
Crews disconnected the home’s power and gas hookups and engineers will examine the structure to ensure there’s no extensive structural damage before the family can move back in.
“There has been a number of damaged studs and roof rafters as a result of the fire. They’ll need to be repaired, for sure,” Burgess said.
The close call underscores the need for quick action at the first sign of fire, Burgess said.
“Any time you smell smoke or think you might have a fire, the sooner you can call the fire department, we can get there in the earlier stages of the fire and keep the fire damage to a minimum,” he said. “If the owner had not called us when she called us, there was a great deal of potential for the fire spreading through the entire attic space and could have caused the entire roof and potentially the house (to burn).”
Investigators were on scene late Wednesday evening and Thursday morning but had not determined the cause.
