Members of the Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department were able to keep an RV blaze from spreading to a nearby apartment building in Qualicum Beach on Monday, May 22.
The fire department got the call in the afternoon and immediately began spraying down the RV and the apartment building, which was about eight feet away, said fire chief Nick Acciavatti.
Though most residents of the building were already out, one man who’s apartment was closest to the fire needed a firefighter to help him evacuate.
Fire department photos show the smoke-engulfued motor home and its charred remains.
The owners of the RV had apparently pulled off on the side of the road at the 3900 block of the Island Highway due to some sort of mechanical trouble, said Acciavatti, adding the fire looked like it had started in the engine compartment in the back of the vehicle. “That’s where most of the fire was contained,” he said.
Crews were able to keep the fire from spreading to the apartment building, as well as overhead Telus and Shaw lines, and there were no injuries, according to Acciavatti and a Dashwood fire deparment Facebook post.
Acciavatti praised Lt. Jeremy Morton who was in charge of the scene, and the other firefighters who took part for doing an “absolutely amazing job.”
He said the department’s quick response was key in keeping the fire from spreading.
“I couldn’t say enough good things about the job that they did there. Very well done,” Acciavatti said.
Though the fire had apparently caused traffic to slow in the area, it was back to normal after the RV was removed from the area, according to the department’s Facebook post.