First, it was a flaming coffee machine. Now it’s a blender blaze.
A Vancouver Island resident has come forward to tell her cautionary tale of a countertop appliance bursting into flames just days after a Hornby Island woman shared a similar story.
Fire crews were called to a home in Parksville just before 2 p.m. Thursday for a report of a structure fire.
“RCMP were already on scene and there were concerns there might be somebody inside,” said Asst. Fire Chief Tyrone Heigh. “Shortly after we arrived it was confirmed there was nobody inside.”
For a few frightening moments, Brittany Hogan thought her mother was trapped in the burning building.
“My boyfriend saw the smoke coming out, so I reacted with my son, I took him out of the house,” she said. “I banged on her door and everything, making sure she wasn’t sleeping or anything.”
Her boyfriend then grabbed a garden hose to try to fight the flames before crews arrived, which is when Hogan’s mother arrived home to see the commotion.
She believes the blaze was caused by a used blender she had just purchased.
“That’s what she suspects. Just taking a quick look it looks like that’s exactly the case,” said Heigh. “The fire damage is quite limited so we’ll do an investigation.”
Kimberly Bourgoin said she purchased the blender used, and now regrets not unplugging it.
“I plugged it in to see if it worked, and it was on but it didn’t work, and then I wanted to go out for a minute so I went out for an hour and get back and there’s police and fire everywhere,” said Bourgoin.
The case is similar to another fire on Hornby Island where a woman’s Keurig coffee machine went up in flames, nearly burning down her summer cabin.
Dee Luster said the close call was a reminder for her to unplug appliances before she leaves the house.
Bourgoin says she’s now looking for the donation of any used clothing or furniture after her belongings suffered smoke and water damage.
