A joint response by Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services (RFRS) and local RCMP saved a homeowner from peril early Saturday morning, when flames engulfed a Southside mobile home in one of two structure fires last weekend.
RFRS summoned Revelstoke RCMP for assistance around 2 a.m. Feb. 8, reporting a mobile home in flames in the Hideaway Trailer Park, according to RCMP and City of Revelstoke media releases Monday. A dozen firefighters had joined efforts to douse the fire, which ultimately left the home uninhabitable.
Two officers inspecting the building's exterior noticed the skirting on the bottom of the mobile home moving. A man answered their calls, believed by RCMP to have become trapped in the mobile home's lower crawl space and blocked from the entrance by flames.
The officers broke through the building's plywood siding, creating a large enough opening to pull the man to safety. BC Emergency Health Service treated him on scene for minor injuries, then transported him to Queen Victoria Hospital.
Staff Sgt. Chris Dodds noted that quick and diligent work by RCMP officers likely saved the homeowner "from further peril." The two officers will be recommended by the detachment for commendation, following their life-saving actions.
However, it wouldn't be the only structure fire for Revelstoke's emergency services that weekend.
After 3 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, RFRS responded to another mobile home ablaze, this time on Law Road in Big Eddy. The building was also rendered uninhabitable, and the 11 responding firefighters faced greater challenges extinguishing the flames, having to combat them from both inside and outside the mobile home.
Two people were displaced, but spared without injury and assisted on site by Emergency Support Services.
RFRS managed to contain both Saturday's and Sunday's fire without firefighter injuries, preventing their spread to adjacent structures, and continues to investigate the cause of these incidents.
Any information the community has about either fire can be shared with Revelstoke RCMP at 250-837-5255, or with BC Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or .
