Some residents on Dunham Road in Port Mellon, where a fire destroyed a family home last week, are disputing Howe Sound Pulp and Paper’s (HSPP) claim there was “no delay” in its response to the fire. And they fear what kind of fire protection they’ll have from the mill in the future.
Dunham Road resident William Thompson brought his account of what happened to Coast Reporter this week “to correct an outright misstatement and to point out the deception that caused us to be less prepared than we should have been.”
He said that while HSPP has claimed it got the first call about the fire at 2:50 a.m. on Aug. 16 and then sent out firefighters right away, Thompson said he called the mill himself at about 2:20 a.m. asking for help.
Thompson said he was told by employees at the gatehouse at HSPP that they already knew about the fire but they had been ordered not to respond.
He said he was taken off guard by the statement because “we have a letter and many decades of understanding that [HSPP] will help.”
Thompson said he then went down the road to help his neighbours battle the blaze at Amber and Brendan Ladwig’s home with garden hoses, while live hydro lines sparked on the ground and propane tanks exploded beside the house.
“Shortly after, the soffits caught fire but could easily have been extinguished if we had enough water or could get closer – the house was not lost yet,” he said.
Thompson said other residents called HSPP and 9-1-1 repeatedly during the ordeal, begging for someone to come help.
The Gibsons Fire Department was called upon but did not respond because the fire was outside its fire protection district.
Thompson said firefighters from HSPP’s private department “desperately wanted to help” but were told not to by higher-ups at the mill.
“A couple of these firemen later told me they were dressed, by the fire trucks and calling out to be released to help.”
Thompson said ultimately someone called HSPP’s deputy fire chief at home and he ordered crews to respond, which they did, shortly after 3 a.m.
“This is the call that Kathy Cloutier [HSPP media relations person] was told about for the official HSPP response,” Thompson said.
When asked about the timeline this week, Cloutier stuck to her original statement that crews responded as soon as they got the call for help.
“All I can tell you is our first call logged to the mill was at 2:50 a.m. and firefighters were released at 3:13 a.m. and at 4:13 a.m., exactly an hour later, more firefighters were called in,” Cloutier said, noting firefighters stayed on site until after noon that day helping make sure the fire was out.
“I’m kind of caught by surprise by these claims, but this is what we have in terms of our response and our logs.”
She said HSPP does have a “good neighbour policy” to respond to fires on Dunham Road, known as Dogpatch to locals, and that policy “has been honoured over many years.”
She noted the HSPP fire department is highly trained and its sole purpose is to respond to emergencies on mill property; however, it will respond to fires on Dunham Road and is party to a mutual aid agreement to assist local fire departments where needed, if possible.
Cloutier said that Dogpatch residents needing help from the HSPP fire department should first call 9-1-1 to alert them to the emergency and then call the HSPP gatehouse attendant at the main switchboard, 604-884-5223.
She said response time would vary “dependent on the number of firemen HSPP has on site at the time of a received call, available equipment and immediate impact on the mill.”
Thompson said he and other homeowners in Dogpatch are very thankful for the HSPP firefighter response that ultimately stopped the fire from spreading to more homes on Dunham Road on Aug. 16, but the response time has some concerned about the future and thinking about other ways to protect themselves.
“We’re not going to get caught blindsided completely again,” Thompson said, noting neighbours have been discussing other options for fire protection.
“We were absolutely not ready. We just depended on them.”
