Firefighters have knocked down a blaze at a Delta, B.C. gas station that they say could have been a disaster.
The Husky station on Scott Road near Nordel Way went up in flames around 2 a.m. Thursday, a witness told CTV News.
Firefighters attacked the flames as thick smoke billowed into the air.
Crews sprayed the entire area down with fire retardant foam, and fortunately they were able to bring the fire under control before it started to spread to the gas pumps.
Witnesses say the smoke from the fire settled in over the neighbourhood, making it difficult to breathe even several blocks away.
Firefighters say if the flames had spread to the pumps and the underground fuel tanks, it could have ended very differently.
Battalion Chief Charlie James said part of the awning over the pumps collapsed.
"We were here in time to help protect those exposures and keep them safe," he said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the original calls to 911 came in as a hedge fire behind the station. The first crews to arrive on scene also said they thought it started in the hedge before spreading into the roof of the building.
The gas station was closed at the time and there have been no reports of injuries.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Ben Miljure
