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Witness describes fire at Powell River farm

Caretaker alerted fire department in early morning hours of January 25
Hatch a Bird Farm Powell River
FIRE AFTERMATH: The blaze at Hatch a Bird Farm in Wildwood on Saturday, January 25, extensively damaged a structure that housed the storefront, tool shop, food storage shed, seed starter room, and one of the chicken coops. Contributed photo

A fire at Hatch a Bird Farm in Wildwood in the early morning of Saturday, January 25, resulted in the loss of a barn structure and the deaths of a number of chickens.

The fire was reported at 1:44 am in the 6600 block of McMahon Avenue in Wildwood. Powell River Fire Rescue responded with about 20 to 25 firefighters and three rigs from the Wildwood and Westview fire halls.

Jack Cox, who was caretaking at Hatch a Bird Farm when the fire erupted, said he awoke just after 1:30 am and it sounded like it was raining outside.

“I looked out the window but there was no moisture on the window, so I was confused,” said Cox. “I had a slightly uneasy feeling, so I went to a different window and opened it up, stuck my head out and it was unusually bright.

“I saw a lick of flame coming from the shop. I shut the window and phoned the fire department. I rapidly got dressed, ran downstairs, went to the front door and thought we should get in the truck and off the farm, but as I was out the front door, the front of the shop went up with a lot of sparks coming from the hydro lines. There were a lot of fireworks and it was clearly evident it wasn’t safe to get to the truck.”

Cox said he and his partner exited the back door, grabbed the dog and were on the phone with the fire department as he watched the structure go up “really fast.”

“It was staggering how fast it went up,” he added.

When the fire department arrived, its members took over.

“This was a very large barn and workshop and sadly, animals died,” said deputy fire chief Rocky Swanson.

Swanson said the fire department spent more than three hours knocking down the fire and were on scene for four hours.

“When we arrived, the fire was massive and the smoke was extremely thick so firefighter safety had to be closely watched,” said Swanson. “I had serious concerns the barn was going to collapse so we kept all crews outside of the structure. Going into the interior was an absolute no. Massive solid steel beams were bending from the heat.”

There were no injuries reported in the incident.

Water pressure was an issue, with the fire department maxing out the capacity of the hydrants.

“There’s nothing wrong with the water supply, it’s just that a fire of that size requires more than most systems can provide in the rural location,” said Swanson.

The structure is likely ruined, according to Swanson. He believes the barn and workshop were fully involved by the time the fire was noticed.

“It had likely been going for about an hour before it was noticed but that will come out in the investigation,” said Swanson.

Live power lines came down as a result of the fire but BC Hydro was on scene quickly to deal with the problem.

Cox said he was helping take care of the farm while the owners were absent. Owners Peter and Helena Bird had left that morning and were in Victoria to go to Mexico on a holiday.

 

Cox said he phoned them at about 1:50 am to let them know that the place had gone up. The Birds returned home.

Swanson said it is believed, through investigation, that the ignition point has been isolated. He said the fire originated in a workshop.

“Along with three other investigators, we were able to narrow it down to about a three-foot location where we think the fire began,” said Swanson. “There was a series of low voltage wires that were powering an LED light. The wires themselves, I believe, were worn, so they overheated. There was really dry wood around them. This comes down to faulty equipment.”

Cox said now, work is underway to put the place back together. Family and friends are chipping in. A GoFundMe page has been started in the hopes that help can be provided to rebuild the damaged facility.

“It’s going strong; it looks good and it is a testament to how [the Birds] have provided for the community for so many years, just from how many people are responding,” said Cox. “It’s really endearing to see and be a part of. I’m just glad we woke up when we did.”

Cox said matters could have been a lot worse if the blaze had spread to the house and other outbuildings.

According to a GoFundMe page writeup by Taylor Carr, who has been working at the family-run farm for the past few months, the storefront, tool shop, food storage shed, seed starter room, and one of the chicken coops were all destroyed in the blaze, and a few of the greenhouses were severely impacted.

The writeup states that Peter and Helena lost a majority of their farm tools, as well as freezers full of meat sold to locals, soil and seeds for this season’s crop production, and the majority of their laying hens.

“At the beginning of a new year, with crop production about to ramp up for spring, and many new animals on the way, this fire has had a devastating impact on Peter and Helena’s ability to operate,” stated Carr. “They’ve been a part of this community for 30 years, supplying local grocery stores and neighbourhoods up and down the coast, and are hoping to thrive for many years to come.”

When an insurance claim for a flood was turned down by an insurer last year, and the premiums were rising to the point of being unaffordable for a small farm, Peter and Helena made the decision to cancel their farm insurance, according to Carr.

“So we are reaching out to our community and abroad,” she stated, “asking for support to help them start over.”

To view the GoFundMe page, go to gf.me/v/c/w62b/help-rebuild-hatch-a-bird-farm-after-fire.