By Joanne Rodgers, Bruce Peninsula Press
The Burley family of Lion’s Head lost their home and all its contents to a fire, with damages estimated to be $550,000.
On November 12, Ryder, a student at Bruce Peninsula District School, was leaving her home to head to the arena. Upon reaching the end of the driveway she heard a smoke alarm. When she returned to check on the home, smoke came barrelling out when she opened the door. Ryder called her mom April who works at the Golden Dawn Senior Citizen Home, who then called 911.
Lion’s Head firefighters responded to the call about 3 p.m. and encountered heavy heat and smoke on entering the house located at 8 Bayfield Street in Lion’s Head. Jack Burt, Fire Chief of Northern Bruce Peninsula, says it took from 3 p.m Tuesday to noon Wednesday for the fire to be contained. Luckily there was minimal chance of damage to neighboring properties.
The Burley family – Derrick, April, and their two girls, Riley and Ryder – are managing day by day, trying to keep their lives as normal as possible, returning to work, school and other regular activities.
The family is currently staying at a friend’s cottage at Stokes Bay. However, they have been told by the property management company of the Bayfield Street house that the house will not be rebuilt, a home the Burley’s have been renting for the past 7 years. The community has donated clothing, funds and have been most supportive.
April says “the shock has worn off, and reality is setting in, we have a roof over our heads, clothing and food, and are trying to figure things out.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up for the Burleys with a goal to raise $10,000. By 19 November, approximately $12,740 had been donated.
It is suspected that a lithium-ion battery in a pet collar caught fire. Even with a tiny battery as in the pet collar, it doesn’t take long once the battery has caught on fire to spread quickly, explains Chief Burt.
April says she has always been cautious about appliances being left on, ensuring that they are turned off prior to leaving home, but had never thought that such a small battery could cause a fire of that scale, she says “definitely an eye opener.”
Chief Burt says that there are usually about 30-40 lithium-ion batteries in a household, and cautions that “with a damaged lithium-ion battery, there’s potential that hours or days later that battery could catch fire.” A battery could be damaged if dropped, hit or overcharged.
Additionally, Chief Burt stressed the importance of having working smoke alarms. “Early detection and early intervention are important. If this fire had happened in the middle of night without a working smoke alarm, it might have had deadly consequences.”
The Fire Chief recommends the following safety measures:
-Take damaged batteries out of the home and call the fire department or local landfill for advice on disposal;
-Don’t use aftermarket batteries; always used manufacturer recommended batteries; and
-Ensure you have working smoke alarms.
All of the Lion’s Head and Tobermory fire service was involved, along with three trucks from Wiarton and one truck from the Inter Township Fire Department, which provided a mobile air fill unit that enabled the refilling of air cylinders on the scene.
Chief Burt said that the firefighters did an amazing job and is a testament to the dedication of the team to drop everything in the middle of the afternoon, and work through the night to protect the community.
In total there were 12 fire service vehicles on site and at the peak of the fire about 42 firefighters were involved in the effort.
