A barn behind a home at Golden Ears Way and 210th Street was destroyed by an early-morning fire on Monday.

The charred skeleton of the barn was still smoldering when firefighters called in an excavator to level the outbuilding at about 9: 30 a.m.

The orginal fire call came in to 9-1-1 at 1: 42 a.m.

No one was hurt in the blaze, according to Maple Ridge fire chief Dane Spence.

"It's an outbuilding... It was fully involved when firefighters arrived. The long, long driveway access to the building itself was difficult," Spence explained.

"We have no idea of the origin at this time. We have a machine coming to help with the overhaul, an excavator... everything has collapsed on itself so we need the machine to remove parts of the building to assist with the investigation and extinguish the fire."

Also in Maple Ridge, three people were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation on Thursday, Jan. 3, after a fire broke out in one of the second-floor units of an apartment building at 11926 222nd St. in Maple Ridge.

Residents of Cypress Apartments had already put out the fire by the time firefighters arrived.

"The bulk of the fire was extinguished with a dry chemical extinguisher by the residents inside the unit," Spence explained to The TIMES on scen

He was unsure, at that time, what started the fire.

"The individual who rents that apartment has gone to hospital with smoke inhalation," Spence elaborated.

Firefighters tossed a smoldering suitcase inside a shopping cart from a balcony of second-storey west-facing unit.

The fire damage was contained to one east-facing apartment.

However there was smoke damage throughout the whole second storey, Spence added.

The day before, on Jan. 2, Pitt Meadows firefighters responded to a call in which a woman received second-degree burns from a fondue pot.

"It was more of a cooking accident than a fire," said Pitt Meadows assistant fire chief Brad Perrie.

"They were adding more fuel to their fondue pot and it splashed up on her. She had second-degree burns to her face, neck, and hands," he said, adding that paramedics took her to hospital.

"This is why we always warn people to be aware of the limitations of the products, and to follow safety rules," Perrie explained.

Pitt Meadows Fire & Rescue had three or four calls during Christmas break for cooking-related issues.

"Cooking fires are the number one cause of residential structure fires. They are all related to complacency and maintenance, people getting distracted and not keeping their appliances clean."

smclaren@mrtimes.com