Couple escapes through bedroom window

Fire destroys all they own

A THORNHILL couple is
lucky to be alive after
their mobile home caught
fire early in the morning
March 21, destroying
everything they owned.

All that’s left of the
home of Richard Booth, a
securily guard at the Skee-
na Mall, and his wife Bev,
a salesclerk at Northern
Drugs, is a charred,
warped skeletal founda-
tion.

All their personal pos-
sessions were consumed
by the flames.

The couple was asleep
with their bedroom door
shut when the fire broke
out. Their 11-year-old
daughter was sleeping at a
friend’s home for the night.

Bev was awakened
after hearing crackling
noises, and alerted her
husband, who got out of
bed to investigate.

“We heard sume pop-
ping noises and small ex-
plosions,” Booth said.

But when he opened the
bedroom door and entered
the hallway to see what
was Causing the noise, he
was immediately engulfed
in smoke.

. “FE was like a
‘blackout,” he said. “I
‘couldn’t see my hand in
: front of my face. [ lost my
, direction completely.”

: Bev had to coach her
‘disoriented husband back
‘into the bedroom, where
‘she had punched out a
‘window screen, and
: heaved him outside.

; Booth then reached in-
:side for Bev, pulling her
; outside to safety.

: “Scary isn’t the word,”
‘said Booth, hours later
‘after being treated at Mills
‘Memorial Hospital for
‘smoke inhalation. “I’m
‘pretty shook up. We were
‘lucky to get out.”

‘ When the fire fighters
, arrived on the scene at
.7:13 a.m. (only five min-
}utes after receiving the
: distress call), the front end
"of the. home was engulfed
. in flames.

OTe

Fire fighters investigate what caused the fire that
swept a trailer home on Muller Avenue in Thornhill

caused by faulty wiring from an addition. The occu-
pants lost-all of their possessions but there were no
injuries as a result of the blaze.

the morning of March 21. The fire is believed to be

Thornhill fire chief Art
Hill said it didn’t take long
for the entire trailer to
catch fire, including the
front ends of both cars,
which were parked about
15 feet from the home.

‘It took 30 fire fighters —
two crews from Thornhill
and one crew from Terrace

‘—~ an hour to control the

blaze and another 90 min-
utes to completely extin-
guish the fire.

Hill said he was worried

“It was quite windy at
the time,” Hill said.

The heat from the fire
was so it intense it caused

the aluminum siding on a,

neighborhood’s home to
buckle.
According to Hill, the

ly-built addition ta the mo-
bile home.

“The load of a deep
freezer was a contributing
factor to it overheating,”
he said.

Hill estimated damages
nat to exceed $200,000,

“The unit was fully in- -
volved from one side of
the house to the other,”
Hill said.

that high winds would
cause the fire to jump to
adjacent houses.

Logging bridge

MAJOR REPAIRS to the logging bridge spanning the
Skeena River east of Terrace are nearly finished.

Concrete was being poured this month to create new
pilings for the bridge, part of $1 million in work being
paid for by the province through its small business enter-
prise program.

The refit was ordered in response to fears about whe-
ther the bridge could withstand pressure from an ice jam
or a collision with debris during high water, said forest
district manager Brian Downie.

“There were concerns earlier about the stability of the
bridge,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of assessments and
put this retrofit plan together.”

He said the work has been underway since last sum-
mer, adding the bridge is expected lo reopen by late
April.

Don John, the riinistry’ s regional engineering: officer,
said conceriis ‘weré raised” when the Association of Pro-

including personal proper-
ty. The couple had house-
hold insurance.

fire .is believed to be,
caused by faulty wiring
that overheated in a new-'

repaired

fessional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Colum-
bia published an article critiquing the bridge’s design.

“The people who reviewed it said the piles were at
the limit of their capacity with no safety factor,” John
said.

He said new piles were driven last summer and
they’re now placing concrete caps in place that tie the
new piles lo the existing slructure. ,

The new piles are designed so that ice riding up
against them splits up, rather than building up force.

John said the next step will be to upgrade the bridge
abutments and decking.

Nechako North Coast Construction has the $450,000
contract for work on the concrete pilings.

The province owns the bridge although Skeena Cellu-
lose built it in 1990 at a cost of $2 million.

Since the province owns it, the province is also pay’
ing for the work, Downie said.

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 29, 2000 - A3

News In Brief

Guides get fines

A TERRACE angling guide has been fined $1,000
for employing an unlicensed guide.

Stanley Harvey Doll plead guilty to the charge
Feb. 21,

Doll's employee, William John Bartlett, didn't
have an assistant angling guide licence when fish-
eries officers conducted a random licence inspec-
tion last October,

It's an assistant’s responsibility io have a li-
cence, but because the assistant is endorsed by the
full-fledged guide, that guide is also held
responsible.

Bartlett also plead auilty to guiding fish without
a licence and was fined $575,

Historic village planned

PLANS are in the works to develop a historic sile
ul the village of Gitanyow showcasing aboriginal
history and culture,

If built, the proposed Gitanyow Historic Village
Project would be a major tourist altraction, say
backers with the Gitanyow Hulip Society.

The 27 totem poles already there, some up to
100 years old, already attract a steady flow of traf-
fic off the highway to Gitanyow, formerly known as
Kitwancool, just north of Kitwanga.

The first stage, to go ahead this year, calls for
construction of a long house housing a museum,
tourist information centre, public market and per-
formance area.

They'd also build a carving shed,

Parking, picnic sites and realignment of existing
poles is also part of the plan.

Watch those faxes

AT LEAST one local business has been targeted by
a scam artist ring operating from Nigeria.

The lure is a fax from a person purporting to be a
Nigerian civil servant who says he has access to
$28.5 million (US) in a secret bank account but
needs to send it overseas for the money to be re-
leased.

The problem is thal the person receiving the fax
is asked to send his or her own banking information
first. What usually happens is that the Nigerian
ring is then cleans out the person's bank account.

“In order to avoid delay, please get in touch with
me immediately,” indicates a “Dr, John Chuku”
the fax. “We must get these funds into your ac-
count within a few working days .... as we cannot
afford to waste much time in this strictly risk free
transaction.”

This type of scam has been around for years and
RCMP say people should not reply.

Another vehicle fire

A 1989 Pontiac station wagon on the 4700 Block
Scott was badly damaged by fire March 21 in po-
lice say is another in a scries of arson attacks.
Police say the vehicle was left unlocked. Those
with information can call the police at 638-7400
and ask for Cst. Smith or Crimestoppers, 635-7477,

oe

Terrace Equipment Sales Ltd.

_  STIHL FS36
Grass Trimmer

F Skidoo Snowmobile
Clothing

30%

Johnson 25
was $3,932.

NOW
$2,750

Mark Ill Futura Zodiac

Fabulous Boat
Reg. $9,000

NOW $6, 200

$149. 00/

STIHL FS85
f Grass Trimmer
Reg $520.

NOW
$399.00

Lawn Mowers
Honda - Toro

Save $200

(Depending on Model}

Honda 15 hp
Fourstroke Electric
Reg $3,000

NOW 51,985

Honda Hydrostatic
18 hp Tractor
Reg. $7,400.

NOW
$6,195

LOWE Pontoon Boat
c/w 70hp Johnson
Total 20 hours
Reg. $21,995

NOW
$14,999

Trailer Included

Memos MOD350
g. $649

NOW $479

14 Aluminum
Jon Boat

Reg $1,200
NOW $850

“MANY MORE ITEMS TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION