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UPDATE w/VIDEO: Firefighters prevent bunker blaze from spreading to animal barns in Chilliwack

Jesperson Road occupants tried to put out flames with pre-installed fire hose before crews arrived
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Smoke and flames are seen billowing from a bunker that caught fire on Jesperson Road in Chilliwack on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. (Screenshot from video by TJ Goldbaum)

A silage bunker at a dairy barn was destroyed, but no animals were injured as a result of a fire in Chilliwack on Sunday.

The Chilliwack Fire Department was called to the 11000-block of Jesperson Road around 11:45 a.m. on Oct. 2.

A neighbour who spoke with The Progress said he could smell smoke in the area, but couldn’t see anything on fire so he figured it was wildfire smoke. Soon after, he said he heard popping noises and the structure went up in flames.

“Occupants were home at the time of the fire and had begun fire suppression efforts with a pre-installed fire hose,” assistant chief Andy Brown stated in a press release on Oct. 4.

When firefighters arrived, they encountered heavy flames and smoke venting from the silage bunker. The initial arriving officer called for a second alarm. About 35 firefighters responded from Halls 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6.

“Firefighters established a water supply and began an exterior fire attack to confine the fire. The fire was confined to the silage bunkers, and firefighters worked late into the night overhauling the bunkers to ensure there would be no rekindle.”

There were no firefighter, civilian or livestock injuries and the cause of the fire appears to be accidental.

RELATED: ‘Fortunately, there were no animals’ in Chilliwack chicken barn when it caught fire


 

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Jenna Hauck

About the Author: Jenna Hauck

I started my career at The Chilliwack Progress in 2000 as a photojournalist.
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