A powerful fire hydrant and the luck of timing helped save a home from further damage after it caught fire in Garden Bay last week.
The Pender Harbour Volunteer Fire Department were called at 2:48 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14 to extinguish a fire in a two-storey wood frame home on Sea Otter Road at Daniel Point, after a someone saw smoke and flames emerging from the upper level of the house on the left side.
Fifteen firefighters and three trucks responded to the call, and within half an hour the firefighters had extinguished most of the flames. They doused hot spots and left the scene at about 5:30 p.m.
“We were within 10 minutes of losing both sides of the house,” said Fire Chief Don Murray, adding that because the fire occurred during the day, the chances were better that a witness would call it in.
Another advantage was the fire hydrant they used.
“We had an excellent fire hydrant there, which saved the day,” Murray told Coast Reporter. The hydrant had enough water pressure that the firefighters didn’t have to use their pumpers, but instead could drive the water through the truck and out to the fire.
The house is estimated to have sustained approximately $400,000 in damages.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Nobody was occupying the home at the time of the fire, nor was anyone injured.
