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Second fire burns at South Surrey property

Two fires in one week on the same South Surrey property have some residents doubting the odds both blazes were accidental.
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Graeme Lempriere uses a garden hose to try and stop a fire on his neighbour's property from spreading.

Two fires in one week on the same South Surrey property have some residents doubting the odds both blazes were accidental.

Firefighters were called to the 16200-block of 10 Avenue around 11 p.m. Friday (Sept. 9) after neighbours reported thick, black smoke coming from the roof of a two-storey home on the property.

The crew was at the same address the Friday before, Sept. 2, after a chicken coop went up in flames.

While Surrey fire Chief Ron Cross would not speculate on the cause of either fire, one neighbour said it is hard to imagine the two aren’t connected.

“Two fires, same property, one week? That’s a little bizarre,” said Graeme Lempriere, who last week used a garden hose to help prevent the first blaze from jumping the fence to his home.

“We’d like to know what’s going on.”

No one was injured in the latest fire. Lempriere said he was alerted to it by the smell of smoke wafting through his own home. As neighbours watched from the street, flames could be seen licking the roof of the house, he said.

Lempriere noted a hazmat team was at the site Sunday, and that an investigator asked him for a copy of video his brother shot of the Sept. 2 fire (online at peacearchnews.com)

Cross said only that both fires remain under investigation.

“I’m not at liberty to say what is going on. The investigator is out there this morning,” Cross said Monday.

Asked if residents should be concerned, Cross said people should always be looking out for their neighbours and keeping close tabs on their personal property.



Tracy Holmes

About the Author: Tracy Holmes

Tracy Holmes has been a reporter with Peace Arch News since 1997.
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