Parksville assistant fire chief Tyrone Heigh said the April 4 fire that destroyed a home on McKinnon Street in Parksville was caused by a compressor in the home’s freezer overheating.
“They (the residents) had defrosted the freezer and went to get it going again, but (the compressor) kept clicking on and off,” said Heigh. “What happened, essentially, is the compressor in the back overheated and there wasn’t adequate ventilation around it.”
The appliance overheated, Heigh said, to the point where the fire started and got out from underneath the freezer and into the wall.
“Then off it went,” he said.
Along with PVFD, Errington, Coombs-Hilliers and Qualicum Beach fire departments were called to the fire last Wednesday in Parksville.
At the time, Parksville fire chief Marc Norris said the fire was well involved by the time firefighters arrived on scene. The fire destroyed the home and damaged a vehicle in the driveway.