Firefighters searching for a man trapped in the basement of his house after it was hit by a landslide on Wednesday couldn’t see him, but they could hear him.
“The guys were trying to make a best guess at where to start their search and their best guess was exactly where he was. He was just covered in debris,” said Nick Acciavatti, chief of the Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department.
Firefighters were called to the home in the gated strata community of Little Qualicum River Estates about 10 a.m. after a report that a house had exploded.
“When we arrived on scene, we found out a landslide had come down and taken out a two-storey house,” Acciavatti said.
A woman met firefighters outside the house and told them her husband was trapped in the basement. Acciavatti called for backup from the Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Errington fire departments.
“About 30 firefighters were helping us out because we knew it was going to be an intensive rescue,” Acciavatti said. “What was hit was a two-storey house. What was left was a one-storey house.”
Firefighters went in through an opening in the back of the house and tried to find the trapped man. Using saws and handtools, they cut through several layers of debris to get to him. “It probably took 45 minutes to an hour to effect a rescue,” Acciavatti said.
The man had been in the basement and his wife on the ground floor when the landslide slammed into the house.
“They were very, very lucky that they were there,” said Acciavatti, adding that both were fairly calm during the rescue.
The man was transported to Nanaimo Regional Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, said the fire chief. He was expected to be discharged in the near future.
Acciavatti said it was the first time he’s had to deal with a significant landslide in his 20-year career with the fire department.
“We couldn’t have done this rescue alone. To have our other fire departments assist us like this is absolutely amazing.”
Worried about the potential for more landslides, emergency officials with the Regional District of Nanaimo issued an evacuation order to people living in 15 houses in the area above and below the slide.
Officials believe the terrain has become unstable because of this week’s heavy rain.
About 25 to 30 evacuees were sent to an emergency reception centre at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, where social services workers were assisting them.
A wider state of local emergency involving about 70 properties was also declared, said Geoff Garbutt, general manager of strategic and community development with the Regional District of Nanaimo.
“We’re aware of situations in the area and we’re making residents aware of what’s going on,” Garbutt said.
“The state of local emergency gives us some powers under the Emergency Management Act.”
The district asked a local geotechnical firm to assess the situation and give recommendations on how to proceed, Garbutt said.
“We need to monitor the situation and make sure that we can respond effectively. We have ongoing weather conditions, so we’re being vigilant,” he said.
The district and the Snuneymuxw First Nation were working on an evacuation alert for residents in the Raines Road area. Residents were being encouraged to have their personal recovery plans in place and be alert for updates.
