Residents escape fire

UPDATE 2:31 P.M.

The Lumby Fire Department called in crews from Lavington and Coldstream to help battle a blaze in a single-family home.

The fire broke out at around 10:30 a.m. Thursday at a home in the 2000 block of Grandview Avenue.

Fire Chief Tony Clayton said the home suffered extensive damage.

“There was a lot of flame and smoke when we showed up,” said Clayton from the scene in the afternoon.

Clayton said there were several people in the home when the fire started, but all managed to escape unharmed.

The fire started in the interior of the home, but Clayton could not say what the cause was, noting the blaze is still under investigation.

The cold weather presented a few challenges for crews.

“We had air packs freezing up,” said Clayton, adding the the air packs get wet, freeze and have to be thawed and dried.

With water being poured in the home and some leaking into the surrounding area, ice was also a challenge for crews.

Clayton said crews put down sand to reduce the dangers of slipping.

This was the second fire on Grandview Avenue. On Nov. 6, crews were called to a house fire that caused some $75,000 damage.

UPDATE: 12:45 p.m.

Three people escaped Thursday from a house fire in Lumby.

Smoke was pouring from the windows as firefighters battled the blaze in the 2000 block of Grandview Avenue.

The house appears to be heavily damaged.

A witness says residents made it out safely, and she believed the pets escaped as well.

ORIGINAL: 11:30 a.m.

Castanet has received reports of a structure fire in Lumby.

The extent of the fire is not known, but it appears to be on Grandview Avenue.

Castanet will have more information as soon as it becomes available.

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