Mill Bay home destroyed, man suffers burns in fire
One man suffered burns and smoke inhalation after a house fire in Mill Bay, B.C., on Saturday.
The Mill Bay Fire Department received the call for the fully involved house fire on Arbutus Terrace at 4:11 p.m.
Mill Bay firefighters, with the mutual aid of the Shawnigan Lake and Cowichan Bay fire departments, worked to stop the fire from spreading to the surrounding wooded area.
"We were very lucky," said Mill Bay fire Chief Ron Beck. "That time of day we normally get a wind that comes up off the ocean and for some reason we just didn’t have that and that prevented it from heading into the forest, creating a wildfire."
With the crews focusing on stopping the spread of the fire, the house was lost to the blaze and most of what remains is rubble.
With the crews focusing on stopping the spread of the fire, the house was lost to the blaze and most of what remains is rubble. (CTV News)
"I tend many fires and it’s hard to image losing your house and all your contents and things," Beck said. "Very devastating."
The fire chief says the homeowners – a husband and wife – were home at the time and made it out safely but the husband suffered burns and smoke inhalation after going back inside to rescue the couple’s two dogs and several cats.
The cats and one of the dogs are safe but the other dog was unaccounted for Monday.
With the crews focusing on stopping the spread of the fire, the house was lost to the blaze and most of what remains is rubble. (CTV News)
Beck says the couple was taken to hospital for care.
Fire crews stayed on scene until 3 a.m. Sunday to ensure the fire was completely out.
The cause of the fire is not known and is under investigation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Asking rent prices up 9.3% across Canada, Ontario sees only decline: report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canada's longstanding blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma was harmful and discriminatory, Canadian Blood Services acknowledged on Friday, in issuing an apology to the LGBTQ2S+ community.