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Fire destroys abandoned home

Thick vegetation made it hard to reach old house on 124th Avenue
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Maple Ridge firefighters had a tough time reaching the blaze Tuesday when an old house burned on 124th Avenue.

newsroom@mapleridgenews.com

 

A fire near Merkley Park destroyed an old home Tuesday morning.

The building, in the 22000-block of 124th Avenue, was deteriorating and there was no one inside, but Maple Ridge firefighters had a tough time putting out the blaze.

“The nature of the house, the age and condition, made it difficult for us to extinguish,” said Maple Ridge fire chief Dane Spence.

Thick vegetation made it tough for firefighters to douse the blaze, and even when the fire was out, they had to wait for a bulldozer to clear away the fallen roof before entering the site.

The call came in at about 11:06 a.m. Tuesday and crews from Halls No. 1 and 3 responded.

Investigation is continuing into the fire, which has been deemed suspicious.

Spence said the home had been unoccupied for about three years.

“It wasn’t on our radar as a derelict house.”