PARKSVILLE — Inattentive chefs and overzealous landscapers have kept local firefighters busy in the first three months of the year.
Emergency crews were called out to a home on Maple Cres. around 11 a.m. on Monday, March 23, after a homeowner attempted to rid their property of some weeds by using a propane torch.
Acting assistant fire chief Cam Cruickshank said the homeowner was quick to act and helped prevent the spread of flames to their home, but it’s a callout they see far too often year-round.
“It’s usually well away from bushes or shrubs, but a little ember gets in there, and it can ignite that shrubbery quite quickly, and if it’s attached to the house, we’ve had a number of instances it carries so quickly it’ll catch the side of the house on fire.”
In June 2020, a Parksville home’s row of cedar hedges was destroyed when a homeowner attempted to rid the area of weeds.
A weed-destroying torch was also pegged as the cause of a Nanaimo home fire last year, which took firefighters hours to fully extinguish.
Cruickshank said it’s a situation which can turn very dangerous, very quickly, and there is no ‘safe’ time of year to do such work.
“We’ve had a fair amount of rain around here, but still inside is where the water doesn’t get in and soak it, you have those dead needles, and that is what ignites so quickly.”
Local firefighters are also reporting a spike in kitchen-related fires, which have displaced several people for either short or long periods of time.
None have resulted in injuries, however Cruickshank told NanaimoNewsNOW most have one thing in common.
“We’ve had a number of instances where we’ve had some fairly significant damage to residences, where they just stepped out on the deck for a minute or two or went to a different room, forgot about it, got distracted, and that’s when it can change quite rapidly.”
He said those in the kitchen should never leave the area with items actively cooking.
Fires this year have stemmed from both electric and gas-powered sources, with the food items on top often the culprit.
“It’s the person doing the cooking, forgetting or getting distracted. There’s oil on the stovetop, they’re frying something that overheats and starts a grease fire.”
He said resources available online through both the Parksville Fire Rescue and FireSmart BC websites provide good tips for homeowners to stay safe in the kitchen as well as prepare their homes from the outside ahead of the warmer months.
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