Early morning fire destroys downtown house
By Kyra Hoggan
A fire in downtown Castlegar early this morning has damaged an unoccupied house beyond repair, according to Fire Chief Sam Lattanzio.
He said the call came in at 5:27 a.m. to attend a structure fire in the 400 block of 11 Avenue. Crews, including Ladder One Engine One, a command vehicle and nine firefighters, arrived on scene at 5:39 a.m. to find a fully-involved blaze.
The fire spread to nearby evergreen trees as well, Lattanzio said.
“It was quite spectacular when they candled,” he said, adding crews had them extinguished in short order. As for the house itself, he said that fire was doused by 6:29 a.m.
“It was purely an exterior operation,” he added. “The structure was badly damaged, so we didn’t go inside.”
He said the house itself is a write off, and the property owner has taken responsibility to secure the property in the interests of public safety.
“(This fire) was human caused, suspicious in nature, and is under investigation,” he concluded.
An interesting side note to this fire is that, while Ladder One, with its 100 foot platform and 1,750 IGPM pump, has been used many times for rescues and other operations, this was its first fire.
Lattanzio said it was a sight to see.
“We made it rain,” he said
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