Municipal Hall

November 1, 2007 / 10:00 AM

The Maple Ridge Fire Department responded to a residential structure fire early yesterday morning. A working smoke alarm sounded, waking and alerting the lone occupant to this emergency. The occupant awoke smelled smoke and grabbed their portable fire extinguisher. On their way out of the structure they discovered that the fire had already grown much larger than the extinguisher could cope with so they exited and immediately called for help. The first arriving unit easily found the location on the dark, rural street as the resident was at the side of the road waving emphatically.

This individual was well prepared, did everything right and survived an incident that could have proven tragic had the smoke alarm not been in working order. Choosing to exit the building rather than attempting to fight a fire that was beyond their capabilities allowed the occupant to contact emergency services more quickly. Help arrived that much sooner, limiting property damage. Realizing that the home would be difficult to locate in the dark of night as there was no visible flame from the exterior, the resident's presence at the roadside ensured that emergency services would easily find the property.

Fire damage was contained to the attached garage on the lower level of the home and no one was injured. Cause of the fire appears to be accidental spontaneous combustion of oily rags.

In new construction a similar fire would likely have been quickly extinguished by automatic fire sprinklers.