Movie magic comes to stage in Singin’ In The Rain Awards: sports in the spotlight at Cow High
A&E, Page 12 SPORTS, Page 14
You won’t believe what we’ve brought back! See inside for details
Serving the Cowichan Valley
www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com
...
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Bay blaze lights fire under smoke detector message MIKE D’AMOUR CITIZEN
Volunteer firefighter scramble onto the roof of a home on Wilson Road last Friday morning. Scan with Layar for a video about the importance of smoke detectors. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN]
Peter Baljet
0%
A family of five was lucky to escape a house fire unscathed, despite the fact they didn’t have a single working smoke detector in the home, said Cowichan Bay’s fire chief. “It could have been catastrophic,” said Ken Bulcock. “It’s just unbelievable, there were people in there ages three to about 60 — the outcome could have been far worse.” Cowichan Bay fire crews were called to a home on Wilson Street about 3 a.m. Friday morning and were greeted by flames in the kitchen. Bulcock said he immediately saw flames and “dumped a five-pound extinguisher on it” then had to get out of the house. “A couple of the crew then went in and the fire was knocked down in about 20 minutes,” he said. Turns out a young male occupant of the home was cooking something on the stove, then left it unattended. “A female in the residence smelled the smoke and got everyone out and at that time the flames were already into the kitchen and starting to get inside the interior of the building,” Bulcock said. In all, 15 Cowichan Bay fire-
Financing for 84 Months
fighters — three units — were utilized. “We also called in Duncan fire for mutual aid,” the chief said. Crews spent about two hours on scene. CVRD provided emergency services and put the family up in a motel. While that story has a reasonably happy ending, it’s true it could have been worse and the excuse that smoke alarms are too expensive just isn’t true any more, said Ann Hancock, of the Fire Chiefs Association of B.C. “We’ve had an ongoing campaign for the past 18 months where we’ve made it our mission to make sure every home in B.C. has a working smoke detector,” she said. “So many people were being injured or dying because they didn’t have a smoke detector, we thought it might be an easy solution to supply them.” If you need a smoke alarm or have any questions regarding them, contact someone in your local fire hall and they’ll be happy to help you out. Bulcock said the recent narrow escape is also a good time to remind every one to check the batteries in their smoke detectors, or check to see if the units need replacing.
O N LY
10 DAYS
ON EVERY 2013 MODEL Plus Price Credits up to $7500
6300 Trans Canada Highway, Duncan Sales & Service 250 746 7131 Bodyshop 250 748 4370
Parts 250 746 4466 www.peterbaljetgm.com