Alberni Valley fire crews were able to stop the spread of a fire at an RV park early Thursday (Oct. 13) morning.
Just after midnight, the Cherry Creek Volunteer Fire Department was called to a single trailer fire at the Timberlodge Motel and RV Campground on Timberlane Road, near Highway 4 north of Port Alberni. As crews were responding, a second call indicated that the fire had spread to a second trailer.
“We initiated a mutual aid call with Port Alberni [Fire Department] because of the close proximity of the trailers,” explained Cherry Creek Fire Chief Lucas Banton. “We were concerned with how many residents live back there.”
Both trailers were fully involved by the time crews arrived, and firefighters managed to stop the spread of the fire to any neighbouring trailers. The fire did spread to a retaining wall beside the trailers, which had been cladded with metal and filled with insulation. Although the wall managed to protect some of the other trailers on the property, Banton said crews were on the scene until Thursday morning to fully extinguish any hot spots that had spread inside this wall.
Banton said that the property owners indicated that the two destroyed trailers were unoccupied. Although fire crews were initially worried about people squatting in the trailers, Banton says after investigation that he believes these two trailers were unoccupied at the time of the fire.
No cause has been determined, as both trailers were destroyed “beyond the point where we could easily figure out a cause,” said Banton. At this point, it is considered suspicious.
Port Alberni fire crews have been busy so far on Thursday, as the Port Alberni Fire Department and a crew from BC Wildfire Service responded to a fire in Roger Creek Park near North Island College early in the morning. A second, smaller fire in the Roger Creek area was also knocked down at around 10:30 a.m. Another wildfire burning south of the city on Spur No. 10 is under control and less than four hectares, according to BC Wildfire.
elena.rardon@albernivalleynews.com
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