A family of five is homeless after their house was completely destroyed by fire just before midnight on Labour Day.
The four-year-old, 3500-square-foot house in the 6400-block of Bearstone Place was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on scene around 11:40 p.m. on Monday (pictured below), with fire venting from the roof of the second floor.
Fire crews from Halls 1, 4 and 6 battled the massive blaze which took 90 minutes to get under control. The home is located in a fairly new residential area on Tzeachten Reserve, east of Vedder Road, off of South Sumas Road.
All occupants of the home were able to escape from the home unharmed. There were no firefighter injuries.
The cause of the fire is unknown and the incident will be investigated by the RCMP and by Chilliwack Fire Department officials.
A second fire earlier on the long weekend also had firefighters busy.
On Sunday, at around 6:30 p.m., firefighters battled a fire in a mobile home in the 46000-block of Upper Prairie Road. On arrival, fire crews saw smoke from the roof of a mobile home with a lone occupant meeting them outside the home.
The fire was found in the attic space and was quickly brought under control. The majority of the damage was done to the ceiling and roof of the building with no fire damage to the interior of the home.
The occupant of the home was transported to hospital for possible smoke inhalation. There were no firefighter injuries.
The cause of the fire was accidental, and due to cooking. Residential kitchen fires remain to be the most common cause of fires in Chilliwack.
'Prevent Kitchen Fires' is the message for this year's Fire Prevention Week. During that time (Oct. 6-12), fire crews will educate the public on kitchen fires and how to keep them from starting in the first place.