Up all night fighting fires

Photo: Contributed

Firefighters with the Armstrong-Spallumcheen fire department were up all night fighting two blazes.

Crews were called to the Rose Valley Square Mall in Armstrong  at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday after a fire alarm went off, said Fire Chief Ian Cummings.

"When we got on scene, there was smoke in the building and a sprinkler system had activated," said Cummings. "The sprinkler did its job and the fire was out but there was heavy water damage."

Cummings said the 16-member crew stayed on scene for several hours helping businesses move products and clean up the water.

Just as firefighters returned to the hall and were getting their trucks in order, another call came in about a structure fire along Otter Lake Cross Road in Spallumcheen.

"We had difficulty accessing it but we helped keep it from spreading," said Cummings.

A shop, outbuildings and a fence went up in flames, he said.

The fire was so intense that crews ran out of water but were helped out by the BX-Swan Lake fire department which sent a tender.

Firefighters didn't get back to the hall until after 8 a.m. Thursday.