Firefighters from Sproat Lake, Beaver Creek and Cherry Creek volunteer fire departments and Port Alberni Fire Dept. responded to a house fire on Wattys Road on Wednesday night.
The fire was burning hot and creating large plumes of black smoke that could be seen for kilometres.
Port Alberni Fire Chief Mike Owens said the call came in shortly after 6:30 p.m. and because it was a structure fire, it triggered an automatic mutual aid call to the volunteer fire departments in the Alberni Valley. Twenty-four firefighters were on scene to fight the blaze, and BC Ambulance paramedics attended as well.
A neighbour said the residents were able to safely flee the house but two cats were unaccounted for in the first hour of the incident. The cats' status was unknown as the Alberni Valley News went to press.
"One occupant self-extricated, was checked out by BC EHS and transported to West Coast General Hospital," Owens said. A second person had been outside the building when the fire started but went inside to assist another occupant and was exposed to smoke. That person was also assessed by firefighters and paramedics on scene.
Family members posted on social media that two people from the scene were taken to hospital for observation due to smoke inhalation but were later released and went to another family member's home. Names of the occupants were not shared officially.
Emergency Social Services (ESS) were called to provide services to the occupant of the house, assisting with temporary housing and other immediate needs, Owens said.
Wattys Road is located west of the Riverbend (Orange) Bridge and is on Tseshaht First Nation land as it intersects Highway 4.
Because the fire occurred on Tseshaht land, the Port Alberni RCMP is leading the investigation into the fire's cause, Owens said.
