Overnight fire in Port Moody leaves 126 hydro customers without power
An overnight fire in Port Moody has left more than 100 homes temporarily without power, and destroyed two homes that were under construction.
Port Moody firefighters responded to a structure fire in the town centre near Moody Street and Henry Street around 3:00 a.m., a short walk from Moody Centre SkyTrain station.
“Upon arrival they discovered two homes under construction, both of them with laneway homes attached to the rear, fully involved in fire,” said fire chief Ron Coulson.
Firefighters immediately went into “defensive mode,” with the goal of stopping the fire from spreading to other homes, Coulson said. The homes had been unoccupied and nobody was injured.
“Both buildings appear to be a total loss at this time.”
“I woke up to the sounds of the windows popping,” said neighbour Jillian Hightower, “I looked out the window and it was just like an entire wall of flames. We could feel the heat like inside our house, it was crazy.”
She said her dad’s work truck was parked near the fire and it was so hot, his tail lights melted.
Alastir Hull who also lives nearby said the flames were, “probably up to 40 or 50 feet” in the air.
“It was two homes that were under construction, they had finished framing and had finished roofing so there was no electrical or gas in there but it was basically a massive camp fire.”
He said his biggest concern was for the safety of his fellow neighbours, many of whom came outside in the early hours of the morning to watch what was going on.
“These are under construction so we know no one’s inside or no one should be inside them,” said Hull, “it was concerning because that’s the biggest thing that’s happened out here for a long time.”
A nearby power pole was also damaged in the fire, which is what caused the power outage, said Coulson, who spoke to CTV News Vancouver by phone from the scene.
“There was a wooden pole immediately adjacent to the construction area, so it was impacted by the fire and damaged severely, so (BC Hydro crews) have to actually bring that pole down,” he said, as a chainsaw roared in the background.
“They're working on that right now and, and bringing that pole down and putting a new one in its place.”
According to BC Hydro, 126 customers were affected by the outage which began at 3 a.m. By noon, the company said it expected power to be restored by 5 p.m. BC Hydro told CTV News that the fire also damaged some underground wires which is what caused the outage to those homes.
Photos from the scene show firefighters fighting back high flames and thick heavy smoke billowing from the homes.
When CTV News spoke to Coulson midday, the fire was still ongoing, with crews on scene putting out hotspots.
The cause of the fire will be investigated once the fire is fully out, Coulson said, however the extent of the damage may make it difficult to find an answer. Fire officials have not yet involved the Port Moody police, and would only do so if they deem it suspicious.
“We would invite police to take part in an investigation once we determined that the fire may be incendiary in nature or a set fire, but we're not at that point yet,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.