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Second fire in housing complex in one week

Cause of blaze under investigation by police and fire investigator
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A second fire at the Skeena Kalum Housing complex brought out Terrace firefighters last night

A week after a blaze destroyed a three-unit housing complex, making three families homeless, another fire hit in another unit of the 16 unit Skeena Kalum Housing complex in the evening Aug.11.

The flames were contained in just the one unit and everyone got out safely, said fire chief John Klie, Aug. 12.

"It looked like it started up in a bedroom," said Klie.

The residents threw water on the fire but it became quite smoky and they had to leave the building, he added.

The 17 firefighters put it out quite quickly as the fire itself wasn't very big, but there was a lot of smoke damage, he said.

Terrace RCMP and the fire investigator were conducting a joint investigation this afternoon to determine cause, he said.

Shortly after midnight, Aug. 5, 20 Terrace and Thornhill firefighters arrived to find a housing unit fully engulfed in flames with a big ball of flames coming from the front of the building, also in Skeena Kalum Housing complex.

The Terrace fire investigator and Terrace RCMP were unable to determine the cause of that fire.

All I can add is that we are able to say that the fire started in the carport of one of the units where a couch was being temporarily stored. The investigation is continuing and police are unable to determine the cause of the fire at this time,” said North District RCMP media relations Cpl. Dave Tyreman Aug. 7.

Community efforts were well underway to organize assistance for the families affected by the fire last week.