Oliver fire department responds to two separate chimney fires

2 fires in unclean chimneys

Photo: Oliver Fire Department

The Oliver Fire Department is reminding people to clean out their chimneys after responding to two separate chimney fires on Tuesday, both due to improper care according to the local fire chief.

Fire chief Bob Graham stated their first call came in around noon for a home on Road 20.

“It started off as a chimney fire and expanded into a structure fire...It was very difficult because of a lot of renovations that had been done to the house and adds ons.”

Twenty-two fire crew members from Oliver responded to the first fire, which led the teams to call in back up from a nearby fire department.

“We called mutual aid from Osoyoos to stand by because all of our trucks were tied up with that. So they came up with two trucks and I believe eight people.”

Firefighters were able to get the fire out on the first home by around 5 p.m. after finally succeeding in getting through the additions and multiple roofs to properly extinguish the fire.

At 2 p.m., crews were called to another chimney fire at a home on Highway 97.

“Our rescue truck responded and one of the Osoyoos trucks responded as well,” Graham added. “We were only there a very short time, which was extinguished very quickly it hadn't spread at all,”

No injuries were reported from both fires, but the residents of the first fire on Road 20 were displaced and looked after by Emergency Services due to the water and fire damage to their home.

There was minimal damage reported from the second house fire.