Large fire destroys homes in Port Coquitlam
Posted October 10, 2017 7:08 am.
Last Updated October 10, 2017 11:22 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PORT COQUITLAM (NEWS 1130) – Three homes have been destroyed by a fire in a residential neighbourhood in Port Coquitlam.
It appears the fire may have started in a home that is under construction. Some other homes have damage from the fire.
“We had some explosions at the start. We’re unclear on what they were from,” says Port Coquitlam Fire Chief Nick Delmonico.
“It’s a construction site, so it could have been propane tanks… we don’t know. But it was a bit unnerving,” he adds.
“Flames were going 60, 80 feet in the air at all three houses. As a matter of fact, houses on both sides — the street in front of it and behind it — are singed, as well. The sidings have melted off a lot of houses in the area, as well.”
No one was hurt, but more than a dozen people are out of their homes.
“We’ve set up a level 2 reception center at Hyde Creek Recreation Centre for people to be transported to,” says Delmonico.
There’s no word yet on how the fire started.
“Fires of this size are almost harder to determine because a lot of the evidence gets destroyed, as opposed to a small [fire], where it’s fairly obvious. Our investigators are on scene. They’ll be rummaging there… probably most of the day, trying to make a determination of where and how it started,” says Delmonico.
He adds it’s too early to say whether the fire is considered suspicious.
