Busy Night For Fire Crews

A busy night for fire crews in Armstrong and Spallumcheen.

The department was called to the Rose Valley Square Mall on Pleasant Valley Road in Armstrong just after 10 pm Wednesday for an alarm.

“When we got to the scene we found the sprinkler activated and there was smoke throughout the building,” says Fire Chief Ian Cummings. “Our members gained access and found a small fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler, but there was heavy water damage throughout the building.”

Cummings says a basket of oily rags caught fire under a bench and spread up the wall before the sprinkler put it out.

He says it appears to be spontaneous combustion, but he hasn’t confirmed that.

And then after 1 am Thursday, as firefighters got back at their building, they were called to a structure fire on Otter Lake Cross Road in Spallumcheen.

“We responded with 17 members, and had a fully involved shop and a number of outbuildings and a fence.”

Cummings says no one was home at the time.

“There was a number of animals, goats in an attached corral, who were heating up pretty good, so we released them, and basically kept the fire to where it was and didn’t let it spread.”

Cummings says the shop was destroyed. He’s not sure what was in it.

The cause is under investigation but not thought to be suspicious.

Cummings says his crew ended its work at the fire scene at 8 this morning.

“It was an extremely busy long night. Our crews did a fantastic job. I’m really proud of them.”