The occupant of a Whistler home escaped unharmed after a fire broke out in the early morning hours of Thursday, Oct. 3, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) confirmed.
Crews responded to the house fire on Crabapple Drive at 5:41 a.m., with firefighters from all three local fire halls battling the blaze. Reportedly a working structure fire, the RMOW said in an emailed statement that heavy flames burned through the roof of the large family home.
Thanks to early detection via smoke alarm, the occupant and their pet exited the house uninjured.
Crews had the fire under control within two hours, the RMOW said. The flames caused "significant damage" to the top floor and roof of one section of the home.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, though it is not considered suspicious.
It's the second building fire in the span of a week the Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS) has had to contend with. Last Thursday, Sept. 26, firefighters spent hours working to contain a stubborn blaze at Building 3 of the Gables Townhomes on Blackcomb Way. A nearby resident and strata member who captured footage of the blaze credited crews' quick response, as well as residents' FireSmarting efforts over the years, for containing its spread.
"It could have been so much worse," Derek Schumann told Pique this week.
Fire Prevention Week in Canada runs from Oct. 6 to 12. The WFRS reminds residents to ensure they have working smoke alarms on every floor and in each bedroom of their home. Learn more at fpw.org.
