Neighbours rally to fight blaze
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Updated: July 14, 2009 3:13 PM
Second fire in four months, cause still unknown
Neighbours rushed to douse a bush fire and protect homes Friday night in Maple Ridge.
The fire broke out around 9 p.m. in a walkway connecting two backing cul-de-sacs in the 12000 block of Dover Street.
The fire ignited nearly a dozen dry bushes on a property on one side of the path.
Within minutes, neighbours responded with fire extinguishers and hoses to help douse the flames and prevent them from spreading to the nearby homes.
“The homeowners, the neighbours did a fantastic job of putting the fire out. It was virtually out when we arrived,” said Dane Spence, chief with the Maple Ridge Fire Department. “The hedges were quite dry, and had they not taken the action they did, it would have involved the house.”
The home’s resident, who asked not to be named, also wanted to commend the actions of the community for the assistance.
“I just wanted to thank everybody for coming to help put the fire out,” said the resident. “There were about 12 people who came from three to four blocks away with buckets, hoses to help put it out.
“I was really, really touched by how much support there was, so fast.”
The resident said there was another fire that started in the same bushes on the property in April, causing him to suspect arson.
“We have no knowledge if the fire was arson. It could’ve just been a discarded cigarette,” said Spence. “For the record, I don’t know what started the fire.”
v2
