Pet dog dies in encampment fire on Chilliwack reserve

A dog died in an encampment fire on a Chilliwack reserve on Wednesday.

The Chilliwack Fire Department was called to a vehicle fire in the 100 block of Landing Drive around 2 p.m. on June 15 but had difficulty accessing the blaze on Skwali reserve.

“Initial firefighting efforts were hampered due to the remoteness of the area with no fire hydrants,” said assistant chief Andrew Brown.

Fire crews were first dispatched to Marshall Avenue that comes to a dead end at the dike separating the municipality and the reserve. Heavy black smoke was visible from McCammon Elementary School, which abuts against the reserve that the Hope Slough runs through, and explosions could be heard from across the slough along the dike where people watched.

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When crews arrived on scene, there was a fully involved vehicle fire which quickly spread to another vehicle, a shed and two travel trailers.

“Firefighters tried to rescue a pet dog from one of the travel trailers, but were pushed back by the intense heat and quick-fire spread,” Brown said.

Fire crews used water from a nearby creek to extinguish the fire, preventing it from spreading to the surrounding vehicles and vegetation.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries.

This fire is under investigation by the Chilliwack Fire Department.

– with files by Paul Henderson