A North Vancouver couple is hoping to find a trio of Good Samaritans they credit with saving their home from a wildfire on Wednesday.
The fire broke out in a stand of trees behind Olivier Vincent and Linda Dawe’s Deep Cove home around 8 p.m. Wednesday.
But it wasn’t until some passing boaters spotted the fire and alerted the couple that they realized the fire was in progress.
“If it had not been for them, most likely 15, 20, 30 minutes it would have taken us (to realize),” Vincent told Global News.
“Every minute would have been relevant.”
Security video captured the boaters’ actions.
In the video, a boat can be seen motoring along Indian Arm, past the couple’s home. The occupants of the boat can be seen spotting the fire and making a bee-line for the property.
The boaters pull up to shore, then begin honking and shining a light at the property. Eventually, Vincent exits the home.
“Are you OK?” Vincent asks.
“There’s a forest fire! Right behind you!” the boaters reply.
“Are you kidding? Oh f— forest fire! Call 911!” says Vincent.
Vincent and Dawe say they heard the initial honking, but thought it was part of a movie they were watching.
Once they realized what was going on, they packed up their essentials, got their dogs out of the house and went to retrieve a neighbour’s dog as well.
“My first reaction was that it was a joke,” Vincent told Global News.
“I’m turning my head and I could see the smoke coming up pretty strongly so I, you know, sprung into action. I may have said a few bad words in the moment.”
Dawe said the boaters also offered to stay behind in case the couple needed to be evacuated by water.
“(It) gives me faith in mankind,” said Dawe. “Really good feeling. There’s good people out there.”
In the rush to evacuate the property, the couple says they never got the names or contact info of the boaters.
“We owe them a lot, if not everything,” said Vincent.
“We think we owe them a few bottles of wine or a full tank of gas for their boat or something like that. And most of everything, a big thank you.”
Dawe had kind words for the North Vancouver firefighters and BC Wildfire crew who attended, who she said were quick to respond and tackled the fire professionally.
Crews were able to put the fire down before it spread, and no homes were damaged.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Vincent said given the weather and the remoteness of their property it was likely human cause.