Several explosions could be heard as propane tanks and spray cans burst from the heat of a garage fire on Reef Road in Sechelt Tuesday afternoon.
Sechelt firefighters were called to the blaze at about 4 p.m. on Dec. 2 where they found the sole occupant safely outside.
Smoke was billowing out of the lower level of the home where the blaze started.
“There were several explosions. It was a very dangerous situation,” Sechelt fire Chief Bill Higgs said. “It was a typical workshop in the basement which has things like spray cans, they’ll make a significant bang, and other bits of flammable liquid like WD40 and that kind of stuff.”
Higgs noted there were vehicles also parked in the workshop/garage and the fluid in the shocks exploded, as did the tires on the vehicles.
“In a close space like that it magnifies the sound,” Higgs said, noting the situation was concerning.
The fire department needed a massive amount of water to put out the blaze, which caused a sheet of ice to form along the roadway, necessitating traffic to be rerouted around the area.
“We’re lucky in Sechelt that most places have a way around, even if you have to drive way around, there is an alternate way, and we’d like to thank people for being cooperative with us when we’re on the fire ground because quite often we have to close the road,” Higgs said.
He said with the explosive elements in the blaze firefighters were firm with community members who needed to vacate the area quickly.
“We just want to thank the community for cooperating and understanding because we have no time to negotiate so we tend to be blunt. Hopefully there are no hard feelings,” Higgs said.
A total of five fire trucks and 24 firefighters were on scene battling the blaze, which was completely extinguished in about one and a half hours.
Higgs said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The house sustained “significant damage” and may be written off by the insurance company.
