‘It’s a complete write off’, Shuswap family loses home in fire

A Tappen family has been displaced after a fire gutted their property on Thursday night in what a local fire chief describes as one of the worst things he and his members have seen.

“It was the scariest sight we have ever seen on any of the fires we have been to,” said Tappen Sunnybrae Fire Chief Kyle Schneider.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It was the scariest sight we have ever seen on any of the fires we have been to," said Tappen Sunnybrae Fire Chief Kyle Schneider.

He said a family of three has lost their home as a result of the blaze.

“We’ve seen this in the winter time but in the summertime, if it was a week from now with temperatures we are seeing, it would have been a different story.”

Schneider said luckily it had rained the day before and winds were calm, but that wasn’t enough to save the home.

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He said the residence in the 4800-block of Sunnybrae Canoe Point Road is a complete write off.

The property is surrounded by a forest and about a quarter acre of it was scorched.

“The situation was very serious but fortunately we had excellent cooperation from all supporting agencies which allowed the firefighters to contain the fire within approximately four hours,” Columbia Shuswap Regional Fire Chief Kenn Mount said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The situation was very serious but fortunately we had excellent cooperation from all supporting agencies which allowed the firefighters to contain the fire within approximately four hours," Columbia Shuswap Regional Fire Chief Kenn Mount said.

“Unfortunately an outbuilding and the primary residence were lost in the blaze, but fire crews worked diligently and were able to keep the fire from spreading further into any additional forested area.”

Fire officials were called in around 9:30 p.m. after a homeowner called 9-1-1.

The Tappen Sunnybrae Fire Department responded to the scene and called in help from the White Lake and Shuswap Fire Departments.

According to the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District (CSRD), a total of 25 firefighters were on scene.

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Six members of the B.C. Wildfire Service also attended and stayed there for most of the night.

The fire is 100 per cent contained and is now in patrol status.

An investigator is on scene to try and determine the cause.

The family has been offered emergency assistance.

No one was injured.