RV demolished by fire at encampment near Island 22 in Chilliwack

An RV in an encampment on a private property near Island 22 was completely destroyed by fire on Wednesday.

The Chilliwack Fire Department was called out to the blaze on Cartmell Road, just east of Island 22 Regional Park, around 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 16.

Firefighters arrived to find a 20-foot trailer fully engulfed in flames and heavy, black smoke billowing from it.

“Crews quickly deployed and successfully extinguished the fire, however the trailer sustained heavy fire damage,” assistant chief Chris Wilson said.

There are dozens of RVs parked on the property with folks living in them.

Encampments like this are different than a home in that some different hazards are prevalent, Wilson said.

“Typically with RVs you do have compressed gases and propane tanks,” he said, adding that they are fairly certain the fire was caused by improper use of a generator.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported.

The cause of this fire appears to be accidental and the Chilliwack Fire Department is reminding the public to always use portable generators in well-ventilated areas outside away from all doors, windows and vent openings; and always use and charge lithium-ion batteries in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

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