The Williams Lake Fire Department didn’t have to travel too far to a fire that engulfed a residence on Moon Avenue Tuesday night.
The emergency fire call came in at 8:15 p.m., according to fire chief Randy Isfeld. And because many department members were already at the hall for the department’s weekly fire practice while other firefighters were out in the community alerting the public in advance of a controlled burn scheduled for next week, the department was able to respond within minutes of receiving the call.
But even with that quick response, when the department arrived the home was already consumed by flames.
“We were on the scene about three minutes after we got the call but the house was fully involved,” Isfeld says. “The front window had come out by that time and the flames were going through the entire house.”
In addition to putting down the fire, there were concerns with preventing the spread of the flames to nearby trees and other structures. The wind and heat generated by the flames presented some difficulty in that regard.
The fire took an hour and a half to get under control, Isfeld says. There was no immediate indication of what started the blaze. Isfeld says the homeowners, who escaped the house with their dog, were insured.
The residents were offered the help of emergency services.
Tuesday was busy as the fire department was called out earlier to an evening grass fire at Hillside Park. No damage was done but the fire is suspicious. Isfeld noted that grassfire season typically starts earlier than this.
Because Hillside is identified as one of the fire-problem areas in the city, the department is scheduled to hold a controlled burn in the area next week.
Isfeld reminds the public that there is no open burning allowed within the City of Williams Lake.