Image: Hope Fire Department / Hope Fire Chief Thomas Cameron says Tuesday night's residential fire that burned one home on Marie Street, two abandoned trailers and several other structures is under investigation. A person who contacted Fraser Valley Today anonymously says the homeowners who lost their home had been trying to get the District of Hope to do something about two abandoned trailers next to their home, saying the trailers caught fire and spread to the residence that burned on Marie Street. 
Hope Fire Department

Hope Fire says fire that burned a home, unoccupied trailers is under investigation

Aug 24, 2023 | 8:42 AM

HOPE — Hope Fire Chief Thomas Cameron says Tuesday night’s residential fire that burned one home, two abandoned trailers and several other structures is under investigation.

In a news release Wednesday afternoon, the Hope Fire Department says it was dispatched for the report of a structure fire in the 19000 block of Marie Street on Tuesday, August 22 at 7:21 p.m. The area is located just south of Highway 1 in the Silver Creek neighbourhood.

On arrival, fire crews found aggressive fire behaviour between two unoccupied mobile homes that were fully engulfed in flames. Fire Chief Thomas Cameron says flames were actively extending into the wildland interface and large cedar trees candling. Fire also extended into a small cabin and another outbuilding on the same property, and would spread into the attic of a neighbouring structure and into a shop on that property. Thanks to quick action, the adjacent house was alerted and evacuated.

“Firefighters were met on scene with other obstacles as curious onlookers filled the street and motorists had traveled and parked in the roadway limiting our access,” Cameron said.

Two BC Hydro service lines were down and actively sparking within moments of the arrival of the first engine, as crowd control became a priority, Cameron pointed out.

A total of 18 firefighters from the Hope Fire Department attended the scene; all units were clear after 1 a.m.

“Our thanks to the Yale and District Volunteer Fire Department for their mutual aid assistance,” Cameron said. “We would also like to express our appreciation to Kiewit, Silver Skagit Mechanical, Tri West Contracting and BC Wildfire Service for their support.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A person who contacted Fraser Valley Today anonymously on Wednesday morning expressed frustration over the two abandoned trailers that caught fire and allegedly spread to the neighbouring home that burned.

“It was two abandoned trailers that then caught the neighbouring house on fire. The house that caught fire is a local family that has lived there for 40 years and have been trying to get the town to do something about the trailers for years as they feared this would happen,” the anonymous person wrote in to Fraser Valley Today.

A GoFundMe has been started for the family that lost their home. Carolyn Ross says her parents, John and Kathy Aatrsen, lost their home due to “negligence of the owner from the abandoned trailers next door to their place.”