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Sidney firefighters save Christmas presents with quick response

House fire likely caused by unattended candle during holiday celebration
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An unattended candle was the likely cause of a fire Wednesday evening in Sidney. The fire caused minor damage and no injuries. (Sidney Volunteer Fire Department/Twitter)

An unattended candle was the likely cause of a fire Wednesday evening in Sidney.

Sidney Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brett Mikkelsen said crews responded to the 9600-block of First Street at around 6:30 p.m.

“It appears that … it was the result of a candle and wax resulting in a fire,” he said. “We have a high degree of certainty, but the investigation is ongoing.”

Mikkelsen added the candle was a part of a Christmas celebration. “She (the elderly resident) was having a little shindig for some neighbours or friends. The big takeaway for this time of the year is that unattended candles or anything like this poses a risk.”

RELATED: Monday morning fire contained to chimney in Sidney

The fire caused damage to the table on which the candle stood, the carpet below it as well as other pieces of furniture with the final assessment of the damage still ongoing, said Mikkelsen, who later described the fire as relatively minor thanks to the quick response from crews on call at the hall.

“If it had been a delayed response, it would have been a much more serious event,” he said, adding three trucks attended the scene. Central Saanich and North Saanich fire crews also responded as it was a structure fire. “Once, we identified that the fire was contained in the room of origin, we could have handled it with our own resources.”

Mikkelsen also offered this good news.

“We were not the Grinch,” he said. “We saved all the Christmas presents. There were not issues there.”


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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com



Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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