A Sooke family escaped uninjured after waking to a burning house early Tuesday morning.
Firefighters arrived at the house on Sooke River Road to find the top floor engulfed in flames.
A man, a woman and a child were awoken by a man living in a trailer on the property, said Sooke Fire Chief Steve Sorensen.
The man was taking a shower at the time and the mother and child were in another room. A neighbour burst through the door to say the roof was one fire.
“Part of the roof collapsed” during the fire, Sorensen said.
The house at 2633 Sooke River Rd. is on the opposite side of the river and about halfway to the Sooke Potholes.
Its exterior walls are clad in stone and wood shakes.
“The cause of the fire appears to be sparks from the chimney fire landing on the cedar shake roof,” said Sorensen.
Twenty-seven firefighters from Sooke, Otter Point and Metchosin volunteer fire departments were on scene after receiving a call at 5:30 a.m.
They extended about 700 feet of hose uphill to reach the fire.
“Luckily, there’s a a hydrant right on the driveway so that helped,” said Sorensen. “So once the water was established we didn’t have any problems but it took multiple lines.”
The flames had to be adequately doused before “we could send anybody inside and part of the roof collapsed which made that a bit of a challenge,” Sorensen said.
There was fire damage to a second-floor bedroom and the rest of the house has significant water damage.
Damage is estimated at $200,000.
Neighbour Doug Archer, who has lived at his 100-acre property at 2643 Sooke River Rd. since 1992, didn’t know about the fire until told by the Times Colonist.
“There was a fire at 2633?” Archer said. “Bill’s house?”
The two houses are separated by about 1,000 trees, he said.
The house was formerly owned by Bill and Norman James, Archer said. Bill James, a retired mink farmer, trucked river rock home to build the house during his time volunteering with the nearby salmon enhancement hatchery.
After he died the land was sold to two brothers and subdivided, Archer said. One brother lives on the property with his wife, and the other brother lives on the subdivided property where a friend lives in a travel trailer.
Archer said he is grateful for the work of the Sooke Fire Department.
Outside the suburb, the rest of Sooke is forested land, he said, and Sorensen “is right on top of any little fires.”
“Over the years we’ve seen him and fire crews in action up and down Sooke River Road,” Archer said. “I know that our fire department is really good and on top of stuff.”
