A late-night fire knocked the Revelstoke Community Energy Corporation plant out of commission on Sunday, February 22.
Fire Rescue Service Chief Rob Girard said firefighters were mobilized after receiving a 911 call at 11:56 pm. RCEC is the community owned energy utility located at Downie Timber.
“Upon arrival, fire crews found heavy smoke pouring from all sides of the building and began an interior fire attack,” he said in a statement. “Within minutes the fire conditions changed and we had heavy fire in the roof of the structure and had to withdraw our interior fire crew and transitioned to an exterior attack.”
There was no one in the building when fire crews arrived and they made excellent use of Ladder 6’s elevated water streams. “We made excellent use of its elevated water streams,” Girard said. “This really turned the fire around for us.”
Firefighters extinguished and overhauled the fire in just under three hours, with no injuries to any of the 23 responding Fire Rescue Service personnel. The service responded with two fire trucks — Tender 5, Ladder 6 — and one command vehicle.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
