Charles Pender unapologetic after fire flattens Pinchgut Lake home
'Two propane tanks exploded and it all went up in the air. It was unreal.'
Residents in Pinchgut Lake on Newfoundland's west coast used garden hoses and buckets of water to try to put out a fire.
- Corner Brook delays capital spending for emergency fire pumper purchase
- Corner Brook fire department can't respond to calls outside city until vehicle is replaced
Because Pinchgut Lake is outside Corner Brook city limits, no fire department responded. However, one firefighter happened to be on the scene Thursday afternoon.
Looks like house burned to ground in Pinchgut. No fire fighters on scene. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBCNL?src=hash">#CBCNL</a> <a href="http://t.co/HvlkxFapIa">pic.twitter.com/HvlkxFapIa</a>
—@colleencbcAaron Sheppard is a firefighter in Corner Brook, but he was on holiday in the George's Lake area nearby when he heard about the fire and went to offer assistance.
Sheppard said he knows the Corner Brook Fire Department is unable to respond to fires outside the city's boundaries, so he wanted to help the residents battle the fire.
<a href="https://twitter.com/karisitah">@karisitah</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/colleencbc">@colleencbc</a> we have provided FF services to all neighbouring communities and for over 50 years at our residents' expense
—@charlespendercbThe fire had been burning for about two hours by 1:30 p.m., and area residents were seen using a garden hose to spray water on a nearby shed in an attempt to save it from the flames.
Witnesses told CBC News that seven people lived in the home, but everyone got out safely and there were no injuries.
People are going with garden hoses and buckets of water. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcnl?src=hash">#cbcnl</a>. It's so quiet here. Odd. <a href="http://t.co/1Ga1fxEbeB">pic.twitter.com/1Ga1fxEbeB</a>
—@colleencbcOther residents were trying to put the fire out using large buckets of water.
No official cause of the fire is known, but witness Tony Power said he saw the fire start and two propane tanks exploding.
"Oh my God, I've never seen a fire so bad. It just was like a inferno," Power said.
"It just went up. Two propane tanks exploded and it all went up in the air. It was unreal."
Power recalls the Corner Brook Fire Department responding to a fire in the area this time last year.
Newfoundland Power was on the scene, cutting power lines to the home.
Meanwhile, Corner Brook Mayor Charles Pender responded to complaints on Twitter of the fire department not responding to the call.
"We are have no responsibility to respond to structure fires outside of city jurisdiction," Pender wrote in one tweet.
"This was bound to happen at some point, very unfortunate," Pender wrote.
"Hope everyone is OK."
Corner Brook fire dept didn't respond. It's outside city limits. One cb firefighter here. Aaron Sheppard. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBCNL?src=hash">#CBCNL</a> <a href="http://t.co/FDu1q2jSUK">pic.twitter.com/FDu1q2jSUK</a>
—@colleencbcWith files from Colleen Connors