Fire rips through garage

By Dan Hilborn
Published Aug. 7, 2004


A thick cloud of black smoke was visible across much of the Lower Mainland on Wednesday afternoon as a garage fire caused about $55,000 damage in North Burnaby.

The blaze, which started just before 3 p.m., completely destroyed a detached garage in the 6500 block of Union Street. Also destroyed was a flatbed truck and older model passenger car parked inside the garage, while the home itself and another family's garage across the alley suffered minor damage.

Carmen Stade, who lives across the street from where the blaze occurred, said that when she saw the column of rising smoke, her first reaction was to make sure her longtime neighbour, Sam Da Silva, was safe.

"Mom and I were at the dining room table and she saw smoke and asked 'What is our neighbour doing - burning garbage?' But then we realized it was more than that," Stade said.

"Mom said 'Call 91l,' but I called Sam first to see if he was home, and he was sleeping. I told him his house was on fire, and he went out to look just as it got real big."

Da Silva, a self employed contractor, ran outside wearing only a t-shirt and shorts to try to battle the blaze with a garden hose, but the fire proved too much.

Witnesses said the blaze also triggered two minor explosions inside the garage, most likely a gas tank and propane tank.

And while the damage to the garage was severe, the fire was not nearly as bad as it could have been. Burnaby firefighter were able to prevent the flames from leaping over to a new roof installed on the house over the weekend.

On Thursday, Burnaby fire investigators were looking for clues to what triggered the blaze. The cause of the fire is still undetermined, and arson has not been ruled out.

Meanwhile, Stade said she is upset with the large number of people who are driving down the normally quiet street to look at the aftermath of the fire.

"People keep coming by to look and while it might be normal curiosity, it makes me so upset. It's not nice. Sam and his family have lost a lot."