A recent fire in Whistler's Function Junction neighbourhood was a result of "spontaneous combustion," according to the Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS).
The Friday, July 11 blaze occurred in Unit 1 at 1375 Alpha Lake Road, and impacted just one unit in the six-unit building, the WFRS said.
"The initial call was received at 5:32 p.m. on Friday, July 11 after a fire alarm was activated. The call was quickly upgraded to a structure fire after a 911 caller reported smoke was visible," the WFRS said in a statement to Pique.
"Upon entering the building, firefighters discovered flames in the storage bay of Unit 1 at 1375 Alpha Lake Road ... In all, 22 career and paid-on-call firefighters from all three fire halls responded. The first two arriving members were on scene within minutes, coming from Fire Hall No. 3 in Spring Creek."
WFRS chief Thomas Doherty said the fire was caused by "spontaneous combustion from used oil/stain rags" in a plastic garbage can.
"Oily rags can combust due to a chemical reaction related to oxidization. This is common in certain stain products, such as linseed oil," Doherty explained in a statement.
"To avoid this, ensure you read the manufacturer's safety recommendations on stain product containers and store oily rags in a well-ventilated, metal container with a lid. Allow the rags to dry completely in a single layer on a non-combustible surface. Oily rags should be disposed of at designated hazardous waste facilities."
Longtime local Paul Fournier said one of the unaffected units is his, and he arrived on site just as crews were wrapping up.
"The potential for massive loss could have been extensive. The facility's chemical suppression systems performed well and as intended but by far the key factor was the impressive performance and extremely fast response time by Whistler Fire Fighters," Fournier said in a letter to the Resort Municipality of Whistler, shared with Pique. "No doubt the recent decision to full-time staff and place a truck at Spring Creek Hall No. 3 made the difference between what could have been damages in the millions of dollars and a business that will be back to normal in a short period of time.
"I would like to personally thank the fire chief and his hard-working professional crew for a job well done as well as members of council for their recent decision to provide increased protection to the southern Whistler areas."
