PORT HARDY, B.C.- Fire crews went up against a structure fire on the Fort Rupert reserve this weekend.
Chief Brent Borg said they received the call shortly after 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Initial reports classified it as a chimney fire.
“We were informed shortly after that there were flames showing and lots of smoke showing, so we upgraded it to a structure fire.”
Borg noted that twenty members from the department attended the scene, and that no mutual aid was needed.
“The fire was contained to the outside of the house, on the chimney side of the house. It did not get into the structure itself.”
He said they don’t quite know the exact cause of the blaze.
“I think it was an aging chimney and (the fire) may have burnt through the mortar and the cracks in the chimney, so it (chimney) is no longer in use.”
Borg said the building suffered no major damage, except for the chimney. Residents suffered no serious injuries, and have since been able to return to the home.
“A couple of the residents had some smoke inhalation,” he said.
“They had the fire kind of knocked down before we got there, so it wasn’t very much for us to deal with,” said Borg.
“We made sure that it was out, and cut into the house a little bit to deal with any hot spots that we were able to find.”
He said this incident is a good reminder to make sure you properly maintain your chimneys.
“Check your chimneys and make sure everything is working as it is supposed to,” he said.
As far as how many times you should clean your chimney per year, Borg said it depends on how much wood you are actually burning.
“You need to keep it clean on a regular basis.”
After extinguishing the blaze, checking for any hot spots, and ventilating the building, the scene was cleared after approximately one hour.
