Three Deep Cove men are out of their home following an early morning fire on Friday.
According to District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, multiple 911 calls came in around 4:45 a.m. when residents saw smoke and flames coming from the back of a home on the 1900 block of Panorama Drive.
When crews arrived, they found area residents confronting the blaze themselves.
“There were residents from the area who were actually attempting to extinguish the fire with a garden hose when our crews arrived,” said assistant chief David Dales. “They did a good job, actually.”
The amateur firefighters did prevent it from spreading but by that time, it had gone from the upper balcony into the home’s soffit and attic, causing heavy damage.
“The home is not livable at this time. It’s going to be quite a while before the occupants can go back in there to live,” said Capt. Nathan Walker, fire investigator.
The three men who live in the home are receiving help from Emergency Social Services for temporary accommodations. The men were a bit shaken up, as can be expected, Walker said, but no one was injured.
The fire appears to have started in a planter on the back deck and is not considered suspicious, Walker said.
“We weren’t able to identify an actual specific source of ignition but I can confirm the men were smokers and there were smoking materials in and around the area. No other source of ignition could be identified,” he said.
This time of year, fires are more likely to break out outside a home, rather than inside, Dales said, which means the most reliable smoke detectors might be on people’s faces.
“We have fires happen on the exterior of buildings and traditionally, warning systems are interior so we don’t get the same exact notice we would on an interior,” he said. “If people think there’s a fire, it’s better to call us and let us investigate.”
