A back yard fire turned into much more in Ladner’s Port Guichon neighbourhood late Saturday afternoon.
When firefighters hooked up a hose to a nearby hydrant to extinguish a hedge fire in the 4500-block of Savoy Street, it appears the pressure caused a nearby pipe to break, sending water down Edmonds Drive for almost a block.
Steven Lan, Delta’s director of engineering said crews were able to do some emergency repairs Saturday night in order to get the line working.
“There were a number of homes without water for a while,” said Lan. “We were able to re-establish water at about 2 a.m.”
He told the Optimist on Monday that final repairs were to be done on Wednesday.
Anne Voute, who lives directly behind where the blaze occurred, said neighbours pulled out garden hoses in an attempt to douse the fire prior to the arrival of the Delta Fire Department.
Voute said the water pressure wasn’t very strong so she figures the pipe might have already been compromised before firefighters hooked up their hose.
Deputy fire Chief Brad Wilson confirmed that the fire was extinguished quickly.
“Once extinguished, it was noticed there was a water main rupture in the area,” Wilson told the Optimist in an email. “We contacted our engineering crew and they mitigated the water issue. I understand there was no water damage to the homes in the area.”
A few doors down at the corner of Savoy Street and Edmonds Drive police tape stretched across the road to cordon off the section of Edmonds Drive where the pipe burst.
Doug Williams, who lives at the corner, said water came out of cracks in the pavement to such an extent it filled the road for almost a block toward 46A Street.
Sand and silt also bubbled up from under the pavement, leaving a portion of Williams’ front yard covered in sand.
The fire destroyed the hedge and damaged the siding on the home.
Delta police were also on scene.
Spokesperson Cris Leykauf said contrary to reports on social media, no arrests were made.
Police investigation has revealed that it was a medical incident and police are not commenting further.
-with files from Ian Jacques
