Large fire breaks out at unused Surrey pier along Fraser River

 

 

SURREY (NEWS 1130) — Surrey firefighters tackled a large but isolated fire that was sparked Friday evening.

The fire was located near the Patullo Bridge on the south side of the Fraser River along 116 Avenue near 126A Street, in an industrial area.

Surrey Fire Deputy Chief Mark Griffioen says they got the call about the “L-shaped dock” burning at 10:43 p.m.

However, it doesn’t pose a risk to nearby infrastructure.

“It doesn’t appear that there’s any vessels tied to it. There’s also no concern, at this point, for the exposure of anything onshore,” he explains.

“We’re taking a defensive approach because safety is a primary concern, as there’s no immediate threat nearby, and we’re limited by the reach of our water streams.”

LATEST: Just spoke to Surrey Fire. Seems the fire is fairly isolated at a dock by the Fraser River near the Pattullo Bridge, no boats or people nearby. Crews say the fire may not be out for hours since it appears to be coming from below the dock. More to come. https://t.co/o4EPSQFyrP

— Kareem Gouda (@KareemsGouda) June 19, 2021

Griffioen adds, the fire is taking longer than expected to extinguish as the source is below the deck and hard for the water to reach.

“It doesn’t seem to have a great impact, the fire is burning underneath the part that’s preventing water from getting to it.”

Karen Reid Sidhu is the executive director at Surry Crime Prevention Society. She tells NEWS 1130 that volunteers with the group have been near the bridge from Thursday to Sunday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. for the past two years. And since, they’ve only seen an increase of bonfires — which she says is connected to the pandemic because of gathering restrictions.

“There’s usually groups of about 20 to 30 people down there drinking … in public, and they’re also potentially driving impaired,” she says.

She adds, there are a number of factors that make bonfires in this area particularly dangerous.

“The way the docks are built. So we have a potential disaster if those docks go up, she says.

“We are always looking out for those bonfires because we don’t want to repeat of what happened in New West with the big fire that happened down there.”

In Surrey, open burning is not allowed. This includes: “backyard fires, fire pits, chimneas (sic), and any other type of outdoor burning other than propane or natural gas fire pits,” according to the City of Surrey’s website.

“Open flames anywhere are a risk. But when you have a potentially flammable substance that’s used on the docks, and it catches fire, it will be a disaster. And not only for the docks being destroyed, but just think about the number of jobs that could potentially be lost. So we’re down there regularly to make sure that this is reported.”

Six units, for a total of 20 firefighters were deployed to knock back Friday’s fire.