The residents of four apartment units on Kiwanis Way in Gibsons are not able to return home until damage from a fire that broke out on July 14 is repaired.
One person was taken to hospital for burns on their feet, and other residents were treated with oxygen on scene, since they’d left their oxygen tanks inside the building, Gibsons Fire Chief Rob Michael told Coast Reporter.
At around 5 a.m. on Wednesday, the Gibsons & District Volunteer Fire Department got the call of a fire on the second floor of a three-storey independent living complex. Light smoke was visible from outside the building when the firefighters arrived on scene, and the sprinkler system had contained the fire to a single room. Smoking materials are believed to have caused the carpet, and then a couch to light on fire.
“With a sprinkler activation knocking down the fire, it did buy time for residents to evacuate and prevented any fire-related deaths for sure,” Michael said.
The entire building – at least 18 units – had to be evacuated. Michael said it was “a challenge” to evacuate, and tough to split the resources to make sure the fire remained under control while also facilitating evacuation. Despite the fire alarm sounding, some residents did not leave until firefighters told them there was an actual fire in the building, and Michael said complacency played a factor.
“I do need to state the importance of exiting a building when the fire alarm is sounding. That posed a significant challenge for the fire department as people were still in the building,” he said, adding that the responders also faced challenges with people attempting to re-enter the building before it was clear to do so.
About 21 firefighters from the Gibsons and Roberts Creek departments attended, and RCMP officers helped make sure residents did not re-enter the building while the firefighting was in progress.
Emergency Support Services was called to provide support for the residents who are unable to return to their homes.
The fire chief said the Gibsons fire department has also received reports of two fires in the area, but only after days had passed. One was a planter in front of a Gibsons business that a passerby stomped out. Michael said there was significant scoring and charring on the planter box, and “the risk was substantial.”
He wants to remind the public that they have a duty to report a fire as it’s happening, especially during this period of high risk. The province has been under a fire ban since June 30.
