Chilliwack – The downside of the dry conditions and this recent heat wave, are the tinder dry conditions.
On Thursday afternoon (@4:15PM, March 21) Chilliwack Fire was dispatched to a reported structure fire located in the 4800 block of Sherlaw Road (near Ryder Lake).
The property owner was cleaning his property and burning dead brush on a hill side. Due to the dry conditions the fire from the brush clearing got away from the property owner and quickly extended up the hill side and ignited a vacant structure.
Firefighters responded from Halls 1, 4, 5 & 6. Upon arrival a single storey vacant structure used as guest cottage, was fully involved as well as numerous hot spots that ignited the hill side and grass field below. Firefighters quickly went to a defensive attack and stop the fire from damaging other buildings on site. Hot spots on the hill side and grass field were quickly extinguished.
No one was hurt and the cause of the fire is accidental.
The Chilliwack Fire Department remind property owner’s when burning during open air burning season, to be present at all times during burning and to have a hose, bucket of water, or shovel and dirt or sand nearby to extinguish the fire if necessary.
