Emergency crews attended to a late-night house fire in Terrace on Feb. 13.
At approximately 9:20 p.m., witnesses say they heard explosions and saw the corner property at Pheasant St. and Walsh Ave. in flames.
“I heard a pop… all of a sudden, I see there were lights flashing. I saw that the neighbour’s house was on fire,” says neighbour Sam Baca, who lives nearby.
A family of four was home at the time and all were able to get out of the house safely.
John Klie, Terrace fire chief, says their investigation has deemed the cause of the fire as undetermined.
“We’re pretty sure the fire started at the back of the carport, but we couldn’t figure out what started it,” says Klie. “We couldn’t find anything that caused the fire… There were no gas tanks, no lawnmowers, no snow blowers, nothing was plugged in — we just can’t figure this one out.”
Other witnesses say they saw the fire start in the garage, where a red Toyota pickup could be seen engulfed in flames. Klie says that the reported popping noise was likely from the tires and airbag from the vehicle.
The Terrace Fire Department had two fire trucks and 11 people at the scene. Firefighters were able to put out the fire by approximately 10 p.m. Most of the damage was visible to the attached side garage on the property and part of the fence. The house itself did not catch fire but some smoke did get in through the vents.
The family is expected to return within two weeks after the damage is repaired.
Although the investigation is over and classified as unsuspicious, members of the public are still asked to phone the fire department at 250-638-4734 if they’ve witnessed anything related to the fire.
natalia@terracestandard.com
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