No one was injured early Monday morning, but the Chilliwack Fire Department had to extinguish a fire at a small homeless encampment in a parking lot next to a building on Hocking Avenue.
Firefighters attended the area behind the Masonic Hall on Hocking at around 6 a.m.
“It appears that someone was camping next to a building in the back of the parking lot and there was a fire that involved their belongings,” according to Asst. Fire Chief Chris Wilson. “The building and a nearby cube van style truck received minor fire damage.”
There were no firefighter or civilian injuries reported, but the belongings of the people or person camping next to the building were mostly destroyed.
This fire comes seven months after a homeless woman was burned badly in a tent fire next to a church downtown.
• READ MORE: Chilliwack homeless woman burned in fire was trying to save church
Clogged lint trap causes another fire
A few hours after the above fire that same day, at approximately 11 a.m., the Chilliwack Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire located in a duplex in the 45000-block of Reece Avenue.
One occupant was at home at the time of the fire, and noticed smoke in the structure, according to the fire department.
Realizing the smoke was coming from a fire in the clothes dryer, the occupant took the appropriate action and unplugged the dryer by, called 911, and exited the building.
Firefighters responded from Halls 1 and 4 and on arrival, reported smoke in one unit of the duplex. Fire crews setup an offensive attack, entered the structure, extinguished the fire in the dryer and removed the dryer from the home. The home suffered light smoke damage.
There were no civilian or firefighter injuries.
The Chilliwack Fire Deptartment said the fire appears to be accident, and wants to remind the public to ensure lint traps are cleaned after each use, and dryer venting is cleaned regularly.
@PeeJayAitch
paul.henderson@theprogress.com
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