A garden shed fire in the Ambleside area created quite the visual distraction Thursday night.
Witness reports poured in from as far away as Jericho Beach where the large plume of smoke from the Ambleside fire could be seen, according to West Vancouver assistant fire chief Jeff Bush.
Seventeen firefighters arrived on the scene in the 1200 block of 15th Street just before 7 p.m. to find a garden shed engulfed in flames. A tree and some ornamental hedges on the property had also caught fire.
“There was concern that it would spread to nearby structures,” said Bush, adding crews got a handle on the fire relatively quickly.
Teresa Lo was driving south on 15th Street with her teenage son in the car, when they spotted the fire.
"Initially (we) thought it was West Van (Secondary)," said Lo in an email. "Drove through smoke, ash and burning embers."
One male sustained minor smoke inhalation at the scene. Bush couldn’t confirm whether or not that individual was the homeowner.
The cause of the blaze has not been determined yet, but fire investigators were expected at the scene Friday.
“It was not suspicious,” said Bush.
