Homeowners are being urged to check the condition of their bathroom fans after fire damaged a mobile home in the 2100 block of Pemberton Place in Comox early April 25.
According to Assistant Fire Chief Rick Shelton of Comox Fire Rescue, firefighters were called to the blaze shortly before 9 a.m.
鈥淔ire and smoke was showing from the rear of the structure through the roof, we were able to get here fairly quickly and get some water on it and knock it down,鈥� Shelton says.
The owner of the trailer, a senior, was able to escape his home without injury after noticing smoke coming from the bathroom ceiling fan. Once he got outside, he could see smoke coming from the roof area and flames then started appearing.
鈥淧robably an overheated fan and quickly moved up into the attic space,鈥� Shelton says.
Shelton says the blaze is a good reminder for other homeowners to check the condition of their fans.
鈥滻t鈥檚 something they don't think about, they should pull those down every once in a while, give them a good cleaning out. They take a lot of air through them over the years and they get a lot of dust and debris and stuff caught up in there,鈥� he says.
Shelton says homeowners may experience their fans starting to slow down or squeal and make noise as a first sign that there could be problems.
鈥淚t's just a good idea to have a regular maintenance schedule where you pull the thing down every couple of months. Just take the cover off it and you'll be able to see it right away whether it's dirty or not,鈥� Shelton says.
The homeowner was checked over at the scene by paramedics, there were no other occupants or pets in the trailer at the time of the fire.
