No one was hurt in what a neighbour called a “major community effort” to battle a fire that destroyed one home and damaged another on Panorama Ridge in Chemainus on Aug. 25.
KC Parent lives two houses away from the fire and credits his son with alerting him.
“My son smelled the smoke at 11:09. And 45 seconds later, me and Ron were running up the driveway,” Parent said. Ron is a contractor working on renovations at Parent’s house. He and another contractor jumped in to help try to fight the fire.
Parent said he called 911 then he and the two contractors rushed to protect a neighbouring log house.
“I pounded on the door, grabbed the hoses, and just started spraying. The three of us were fighting that fire, trying to keep it at the fence line. We pretty much did whatever we could until it just became too hazardous.”
Parent credited instinct — and lessons from his firefighter father — for helping him respond.
“It was just an instinct to react. I remember the stuff that I learned from my dad growing up. You know, my skin started to burn, so I hosed myself off. The gentleman next to me, I was hosing him off so he could get closer. Just everything that I remember from when I was younger with my dad, and from all the firefighting movies I saw over the years.”
The trio fought to hold the flames back as long as possible. Then they heard hissing and popping. Someone yelled, “Propane!” and Parent told everyone to get back immediately.
“Somebody was on the phone to 911 and I'm yelling to get tankers up here because there's no fire hydrants up here. I don't know why.”
With no fire hydrants in the area, crews relied on water tenders — trucks that haul thousands of litres of water to areas without hydrants — to fight the blaze.
North Cowichan Fire Chief Ron French said he wasn’t sure when the neighbourhood was built out but that it must have been approved without hydrants “long ago.” He added, “It would never get built today without adequate water supply.”
He said that, while neighbours’ early efforts with garden hoses may have helped in the initial moments, “the fire grew quickly and garden hoses cannot control the fire.”
French noted that neighbours did the right thing by backing off once crews arrived, adding that such fires can pose serious risks.
“With different exposures like propane tanks they are putting themselves in potential danger,” French added, advising residents to focus on getting people and pets out safely and preparing properties in advance through FireSmart practices.
Parent said he doesn’t know the residents where the fire started but has known the owners of the log house beside it for decades.
“They're one of the first people we met when we moved up here to build this house. And all I could think is, ‘I want to save this house.’”
The occupants of the house where the fire started were able to get out safely. The fire department is still investigating the cause.
“I don't know the neighbour's name because I've never met them. When the guy was carrying out his wife, I yelled, ‘Is there anybody else in the house?’ He said, ‘No.’”
Parent said there was support from many on the ridge.
“I've lived up here since 1994 and I only know like four people, but in times like this, we all do come together.”
Another neighbour, Dave Bodig, raced home from work when he heard what was happening and helped until fire crews arrived. He works along the highway, about a two-minute drive from home, and could see the smoke from there.
“My kids were home alone so I raced up and arrived at 11:20. I helped for about 10 minutes prior to the fire department arriving,” said Bodig about what he called a “very, very scary” moment.
“We were not sure if it was a wildfire or what was happening so after I left, we got the dogs, guinea pigs, birds and clothes, set up some sprinklers on the roof and said our possible goodbyes. Fire department did a great job keeping that from happening!”
When fire crews arrived, the blaze had already consumed the house.
Fire crews from Chemainus, Crofton, Maple Bay, South End and Ladysmith attended, along with BC Emergency Health Services, RCMP and BC Hydro.
North Cowichan Fire Department responded with three engines, one ladder truck and two 2,500-gallon water tenders. A private company from a local mill supported the effort with a 4,000-gallon tender, using drop tanks for the engines to draft from.
The home was destroyed. The log house next door suffered fire damage to the top floor, and smoke and water damage on the other two levels, French confirmed.
Parent says the outcome could have been far worse without quick action by neighbours and contractors.
“Everybody on the ridge kind of deserves credit because we all got together and tried to fight this thing,” he said. “The big thanks should go to my kiddo. He's the one who smelled the smoke.”
