'Pick yourself up and keep going': Comox Valley father, 2 sons escape trailer fire
A father and his two young sons are safe after fleeing a burning trailer in Courtenay on Tuesday morning.
Eric Malley says he could smell smoke shortly after 6 a.m. and quickly realized he was going to have trouble exiting the trailer.
A father and his two young sons are safe after fleeing a burning trailer in Courtenay on Tuesday morning. (CTV News)
“I smelled the smoke and looked back and knew there was too much fire to go that way so I opened the back window to get the kids out – that’s all that matters,” Malley said.
They escaped through an emergency window at the rear of the travel trailer.
“Luckily, the spare tires for the Jeep were stacked there so my five-year-old… I could throw him out the window," the father said.
Getting his seven-year-old out proved more complicated because he was in a cast from a recent ski accident.
“I kind of fell out of the window as I got him onto the tires so he didn’t really land very hard on them and then I crawled out and carried him to neighbours,” Malley said.
The trio fled with only the clothes on their back.
“I don’t have a phone right now, phone’s gone, keys are gone, wallet's gone," he said.
The fleeing occupants also included the Malleys' black and white cat named "Tuxedo."
"The cat's all good, still as friendly as ever, but with burnt whiskers" Malley said.
The Malleys have been in the trailer for just under two years while they are in the process of moving to the Comox Valley from Alberta.
There is a house near the trailer on the same property but it was heavily damaged when a tree fell on it and cannot be lived in, according to a neighbour.
Eric’s wife was on a flight from Alberta when the fire broke out. He said he’ll have to break the news to her from a borrowed phone.
A father and his two young sons are safe after fleeing a burning trailer in Courtenay on Tuesday morning. (CTV News)
Courtenay deputy fire operations chief George Seigler says the family was out of the trailer when crews arrived, but there were hazards on the property.
“We did have the vehicles there, that was a concern," Seigler said. "We did have several 20-pound and 30-pound propane cylinders."
The trailer was destroyed and the investigation has begun into the cause.
“The area of origin is outside the trailer near the fridge so we have an idea what caused the fire but we will do an investigation just to confirm” he said.
None of the occupants suffered any smoke inhalation and were checked out by Emergency Health Services who have put the family up in a Courtenay hotel.
Malley is not sure if his trailer will be covered by insurance because it was registered in Alberta.
“They’re material things. Yeah, there’s memories, there’s toys, there’s clothes. What do you do?" he said.
"You can be down and out about it or you can pick yourself up and keep going."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
BREAKING Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Person charged in random assault on actor Steve Buscemi in New York
A person wanted in connection with the random assault on actor Steve Buscemi on a New York City street earlier this month was taken into custody Friday, police said.