Sechelt fire Chief Bill Higgs and other volunteer firefighters were in the right place at the right time to help fight a fire in Tuwanek on Thursday, July 9.
Higgs said a strategically placed "fire bomb" extinguisher in Sandy Hook aided firefighters in saving a house from major damage.
"It worked just like it was supposed to," said Higgs, who was on his boat when his pager sounded.
Higgs said there are several fire bombs placed throughout the community.
A fire bomb is a type of extinguisher that goes off inside a structure to help knock down flames and allow time for other members to respond, said Higgs.
"We're geographically challenged in this area [Tuwanek]," said Higgs, adding on this occasion, their pre-planning paid off.
He said one of his firefighters was having dinner at his mom's house in Tuwanek when he "smelled something funny in the air," ventured out to have a look and saw a house on fire. He phoned 9-1-1, which set off the department's alert system.
Firefighters carry voice pagers that give them audible information about a fire. Another firefighter in Sandy Hook realized, according to their training, that it was up to him to respond with his fire bomb instead of going straight to the firehouse to suit up.
According to Higgs, the firefighter was at the scene in four minutes and was able to launch the fire bomb into the building safely.
Higgs said, he jumped ashore, swapped his shorts and Crocs for extra fire gear from his command vehicle and arrived on scene in nine minutes. Four trucks showed up soon after and 26 members fought the blaze.
"We got our mini pumps going just as the fire started to grow again," Higgs said.
In the end, no one was injured and the homeowners arrived on scene about one hour after the fire started. The fires origin was traced to an electrical box in a storage room and damage was estimated at $50,000.
"This is a huge success story," said Higgs.
He recalled a fire at the next-door property 21 years ago before fire bombs were available. He said in that incident by the time the fire department arrived, the house was engulfed and the hillside was on fire. This time the house was damaged but saved, evidence was preserved so the fire's origin could be identified and many of the owners' belongings were salvageable.
"If you can embrace new technology it's a great thing," said Higgs.
