BX Swan Lake Fire Department called to Rimer Road structure fire Thursday morning
Fire crews battled the blaze for nearly eight hours as live power lines and a roof collapse forced an exterior attack, officials said.
- Early Thursday, June 18, a structure fire on Rimer Road destroyed a duplex, displacing four families in the BX community.
- Fire Chief Bill Wacey arrived to find the roof already engulfed, while downed, live power lines forced the BX Swan Lake Fire Department and Armstrong-Spallumcheen Fire Department to fight defensively from outside.
- A total of 16 firefighters and five units spent nearly eight hours extinguishing the flames; Wacey reported two people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, while two rabbits perished despite several pets escaping.
- The anonymous owner, awoken by smoke, said he is "reeling from the loss" as occupants receive assistance from Emergency Services while officials investigate the accidental blaze.
- Wacey noted that lithium batteries are increasingly causing structure fires, and this incident marks the second duplex fire the BX Swan Lake Fire Department has responded to in recent weeks.
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5 Articles
Vernon Morning Star
4 families lose homes in BX fire near Vernon
A fire destroyed the homes of four families in the BX early Thursday morning. The blaze broke out at approximately 3:15 a.m. at a duplex on Rimer Road June 18. The intensity of the fire, plus sparking power lines, made it so firefighters couldn’t enter the home. “I wouldn’t let anybody go in because it was very hazardous,” said Bill Wacey, BX Swan Lake fire chief. “We had to fight the fire from the outside.” The owner confirmed that six or seven…
Fire guts BX home near Vernon
A fire destroyed a home in the BX early Thursday morning. The blaze broke out at approximately 3:15 a.m. in the 5600 block of Rimer Road June 18. BX Swan Lake Fire Department worked hard to extinguish the blaze most of the morning, but extensive damage was sustained. All occupants escaped safely.
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