Blaze takes out barn
Siding on a house melted from the intense heat of a blaze on Saturday in Maple Ridge
Firefighters examine the charred skeleton of a barn that burned at 22886 128th Ave. in Maple Ridge Saturday.
Photograph by: submitted , TIMES
A two-alarm fire at 22886 128th Ave. in Maple Ridge kept firefighters busy on Saturday afternoon.
The damaged structure was an old barn that had been converted into a work shed, said Maple Ridge fire chief Peter Grootendorst.
"The owner noticed that the fire started in the grass. The weather was so hot with low humidity that by the time the owner returned with an extinguisher and hose it was too far gone," said Grootendorst.
The radiant heat was able to melt the vinyl siding and crack the windows of three homes that were 50 to 60 feet away from the fire, explained the chief.
"It was fortunate that the firefighters arrived when they did and were able to cool [the vinyl] down quickly before the tar paper beneath caught fire," Grootendorst stated.
As a result of the dry conditions, the fire also spread to a cedar hedge.
"Firefighters arrived to a fully involved large shed in the rear of the property," said eyewitness Curtis Kreklau.
"The fire was so large it scorched a large cedar tree and melted the siding off occupied houses many metres away, that were saved by firefighters," Kreklau added.
Firefighters examine the charred skeleton of a barn that burned at 22886 128th Ave. in Maple Ridge Saturday.
Photograph by: submitted , TIMES
