Vernon family makes it out just in time as flames swallow home

VERNON – A Vernon family barely made it out of their home in time before it went up in flames yesterday evening.

The BX-Swan Lake Fire Department was called out to the home at 649 Pheasant Road about 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 7. Fire chief Bill Wacey says some of the departments members live close by and saw balls of flame shooting from the home.

“It went up very quick,” Wacey says.

Three adults and three children were having dinner when they smelled smoke. The homeowner went downstairs and looked into the laundry room to find it fully engulfed in flames.

“They got out as fast as they could. It took off so fast. It was very close,” Wacey says.

A crew of 27 BX-Swan Lake firefighters, plus mutual aid from the Coldstream Fire Department, tackled the blaze and managed to keep it from spreading to nearby homes in the subdivision.

“There were neighbours on all four sides,” Wacey says. “We had a couple buildings that were extremely close and were definitely threatened for the initial time frame.”

While the fire didn’t spread, the home itself was completely destroyed. Emergency Social Services are available to residents displaced by fire, but Wacey says the family took care of themselves.

Crews were on scene all night and remain there Tuesday morning, March 7. Once the fire is completely out, Wacey will begin to investigate the cause. He makes no preliminary guesses on what started the fire but says it's not suspicious.

%%embed1%%

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.