The woman who was in a dead sleep when her house caught fire on Corbould Street Monday has high praise for the heroic neighbour who woke her up, and probably saved her life, and that of her pets.
“My house caught fire and you banged on my door and woke me up, then you ran into the house and saved my cat,” Duskin Rose posted on Facebook. “Thank very much. You are a wonderful man.”
Rose also thanked the individual who called the fire department.
However she does not know the soft-spoken mystery man who alerted her to the fire.
As she exited the house to secure one of the dogs in the truck, he headed past her into the burning house to rescue her cat.
“He doesn’t even know me,” Rose said. “Honestly we might have died if he hadn’t woken me up.
“He walked out of the house that was on fire, put the cat in my arms and he disappeared.
“I wish I knew who it was so I could thank him.”
Rose said she’s a very deep sleeper.
A GoFundMe account was started by her friend, Sarah West, to help replace Rose’s belongings.
She did not have renters’ insurance.
“It didn’t occur to me. But it does now.”
Chilliwack Fire Department officials were investigating the fire at Corbould and Henderson Avenue, combing through the rubble over the lunch hour Monday (Aug. 29).
The trailer was completely destroyed and the house sustained fire, smoke and water damage. It was the trailer being stored outside the rental home that went up in flames first, and then spread to the house.
Fire crews had been originally dispatched to extinguish the house fire at just before 7 a.m. to find the trailer beside the residence fully engulfed in flames, which spread quickly to the attic of the older two-storey house.
Crews deployed large-diameter hose streams to quickly knock down the flames and then entered the home to finish putting out the fire.
“All occupants and their pets were able to safely exit the home,” according to the press release.
Chilliwack Emergency Support Services (ESS) provided hotel vouchers for the displaced residents.
There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported. Two occupants and three pets were safe.
The incident appears to be accidental but the investigation is ongoing.
“This fire is still currently under active investigation by Chilliwack Fire Department,” assistant fire chief Chris Wilson said.
RELATED: Early-morning house fire had no one injured
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