Firefighters at Burnaby's No. 6 fire hall on Brighton Avenue had an unwelcome guest at dinner Wednesday evening, when a minivan crashed into the station's kitchen.
At about 6:30 p.m., the vehicle travelled from the Costco parking lot next door and into the building, through the kitchen wall, pushing the stove across the room before coming to a stop.
It was a close call for all in the building. Only minutes before, a firefighter had been cooking at the stove, said Burnaby Fire Department deputy chief Bob Cook. Two firefighters were sitting at a table six to eight feet away from where the minivan smashed through the wall.
The vehicle also just missed the gas meter by a little over a foot, Cook said.
"Everybody's OK, there were no injuries to the firefighters and it appears very minor to the driver," he said.
"It's certainly not a daily occurrence to have something like that happen at the station."
Burnaby RCMP say it appears an object rolled on the floor and jammed the accelerator. According to media reports, the object was a milk jug just purchased at the Costco.
The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, a 52-year-old Burnaby woman, was charged by RCMP with driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act.
The firefighters were especially lucky because the incident happened in the early evening, at dinnertime, when potentially several firefighters could have been in the kitchen at the time, Cook noted.
The station was put out of operation until city crews could survey the damage and make temporary repairs to secure the safety and stability of the building. By 9 p.m. it was determined the building was structurally sound and the hall was reopened about 9:30 p.m. with substitute staffing.
"At that time, because of the circumstances, I just sent [the firefighters on shift] all home and brought in replacements for the night," said Cook, who was on scene within a half-hour of the accident.
The damage caused is extensive but does not affect the stability of the building. The minivan took out two large hedge trees on the edge of the Costco parking lot and a kitchen window. It also knocked in a 10-foot-wide section of exterior wall and it "actually hit part of the roof overhang on the way in, witnesses reported [the vehicle] being airborne at the time," he said.
On Thursday, city crews were continuing the repair work. "It's a one-storey hall, this fire station, so as far as stability goes we're not talking about a second floor being compromised or anything like that," said Cook.
He expects to receive an estimate of the repair costs in a few days.
"It's the result of a motor vehicle accident so I would think yes, ICBC should be involved."
Burnaby RCMP reminded people to make sure belongings are safely secured in their vehicles, noting the use of a cargo net or storage device could have prevented the accident.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Const. Bacica of the Burnaby RCMP at 604-294-7922 or, to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Republished with permission of the NewsLeader.
