Fire destroys home
Firefighters battle a blaze in the rear of a house on the 4700 block of Elizabeth Street Sunday afternoon. The home’s owner got out safely, but the house was completely gutted. WAWMEESH G. HAMILTON/Alberni Valley News
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A house fire on Sunday afternoon completely gutted one home and damaged another nearby.
The fire department answered multiple calls about a house fire in the 4700 block of Elizabeth Street Sunday afternoon after 1 p.m., fire chief Tim Pley said.
Three trucks, one ladder truck and a rescue truck responded, and the 19 firemen could see the fire before they got there, Pley said. “There was a massive, dark column of smoke in the sky above the house.”
When firemen arrived, they found the house and garage completely engulfed in flames, Pley said.
A crowd of more than 100 watched as firemen battled the blaze, which had spread to the upstairs.
Several of the owner’s RV’s and a boat were destroyed. The heat was so intense that it melted a backyard trampoline, as well as siding on the next door neighbour’s house and garage.
Paramedics stood by but no one was injured.
Firemen were still putting out hot spots at 5:30 p.m.
The fire appears to have started in the garage, and may have been accidental, Pley said. “The owner said he was in there working and had gone out for lunch. It seems to have started just after.”
The owner — who neighbors referred to as Blackie Alaire — tried to douse the flames himself, but to no avail.
“He tried to fight it with a garden hose, but it was too involved by then,” Pley said.
Alaire stood half a block away amid several friends. Despondent, he quietly declined comment.
One witness said he heard more than one loud bang that seemed to be coming from the garage“I saw the guy trying to use a garden hose, but it was really roaring,” he said.
reporter@albernivalleynews.com
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