PORT HARDY—Quick action by Port Hardy Fire Rescue volunteers prevented a pair of structures from going up in flames in two separate fires Friday and Saturday.
Friday afternoon, firefighters were called to a home in Cedar Heights Trailer Park after smoke was seen pouring from the eaves. They quickly extinguished the blaze before the home became engulfed, though trailer did sustain substantial smoke, water and exterior damage after firefighters cut away sections of the siding and soffit to find hot spots.
The residents, Doug Lissey and Junelyn Pascua, were traveling down-Island at the time with their 11- and 13-year-old daughters. The family has since been put up in another trailer owned by Amanda Murphy, who has also accepting donated household items and clothing for the girls.
The following night, firefighters were at Port Hardy Fire Hall 1 for a social gathering, and were able to swiftly respond when they were called to a kitchen fire at the home of Larry and Barb Bruner, at 8835 Seaview Drive.
A babysitter watching the Bruners' three great-grandchildren got the younger kids out of the house and called 911 after a stovetop fire spread to nearby cabinets.
The Bruners were attending a concert at the Civic Center, across the parking lot from the fire hall, and were immediately notified. They returned the their nearby home to find firefighters already mopping up, having limited the damage to the kitchen and dining areas.
"The kitchen and dining room are gone," Barb Bruner said. "But the firemen did a superb job of containing the fire. I just can't emphasize enough how efficient the firefighters were."
The Bruners are staying in a local motel, while a daughter has taken leave from her job in Williams Lake to watch the children.
"It will be three or four more months before we move back in," said Bruner, who praised the quick action on the part of the babysitter in response to the fire. "We're hoping to find a place to stay close to home so the kids are around their neighbours."