KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK THURSDAY
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JUNE 4, 2015 | Volume 28 No. 67
AND THE SKIES OPENED UP . . . TODAY’S WEATHER
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From record-setting rainfall to a forecast of record-nudging heat, Kamloops weather has been wacky as June arrives
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HYDRANT FLOW AN ISSUE IN MOBILE HOME FIRE
FIRE CHIEF: THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH PRIVATELY OWNED HYDRANTS IN TRAILER PARK CAM FORTEMS AND TIM PETRUK
STAFF REPORTERS
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The father of a family of six said their rented mobile home might have been saved had fire hydrants in the park been operational. Darren Crabbe, whose family is homeless following Monday’s blaze, told KTW a Kamloops Fire Rescue engine could not hook up to a hydrant at Iron Mask Trailer Park in west Kamloops. He said he timed a KFR water truck’s arrival at 17 minutes behind the engine. Had hydrants been working, Crabbe believes the fire could have been contained and the family would not have lost everything. “It was just contained to the kitchen,” he said. “They would have been able to put it out.” Kamloops Fire Rescue Chief Dale McLean said the hydrants at the trailer park are privately owned — and that they’ve proven to be a problem for firefighters in the past. “We’ve always had an issue with the quality of the flow in those hydrants,” McLean said.
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Darren Crabbe and his family are homeless after Monday’s fire damaged their rental mobile-home unit. A hydrant on the property (right) had flow problems and could not be used by Kamloops firefighters.
“There’s not much we can do about that. It’s the private infrastructure.” McLean said the hydrants are such a problem that the fire department automatically sends water trucks when calls come in from Iron Mask Trailer Park. “That’s what we’ve done and we did that in this case,” he said. Private hydrant systems are required to undergo annual servicing. Owners of private hydrant systems also must submit statistics to fire officials on an annual basis. Randy Carrell, who
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owns Iron Mask Trailer Park, told KTW she has kept up her annual servicing obligation, but wouldn’t get into details about the hydrant in question. “Right now, this thing is under full investigation and they’re [KFR] putting together all the facts,” she said. “They’re conducting the investigation. They’re professional people and they’re investigating it properly.” Carrell, who owns the trailer in which the fire took place, said she has been fully co-operative with investigators. “I’m letting this inves-
tigation happen and I’ve given them statements,” she said. “I just want the investigation to take its course.” KFR inspector Arlene Ball confirmed that the blaze originated in the kitchen. “The fire happened on the stove,” she said. “The fire patterns all indicate that was indeed the cause of the fire.” Ball said the structure is a total loss, but added it’s too early to put a dollar figure on damage. Meanwhile, a box of donated clothes and toys from Dufferin elementary that came
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through their hotel door Tuesday morning has helped improve the family’s mood. But, Crabbe acknowledged a lot of uncertainty ahead. “They just got a big bag of things,” he said from his unit at the Accent Inn, where the family has been put up by emergency social services for a few days. “They’re a lot happier than when they woke up.” The family is living off emergency assistance and donations following Monday’s fire. Crabbe said the blaze started when he
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attempted to save his cat from a friend’s dog he was boarding for a short time. Amid the scrap and his attempted rescue of his cat, a container of oil intended for making French fries landed on the stove. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” he said of the rapid spread, which he initially tried to douse with baking soda and then — unwisely and in a moment of panic — water. “It crawled up the wall like it was owning the place.” His three children were at Dufferin elementary at the time of the fire,
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which broke out at about 3 p.m. Crabbe worked to get all the animals out of the house, but his oldest cat perished in the blaze. Neither Crabbe nor his partner Nicole are working. He is on a disability pension awaiting surgery. The family was renting the home and its contents were not insured. He said he will have to turn to loans and family to help the family rebuild. “It’s going to be a long road ahead,” Crabbe said. An online campaign to raise money is at gofundme.com/wecanrebuild.
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