RV fire at Cultus Lake sends man to hospital in critical condition

CHILLIWACK (NEWS 1130) — A man has been sent to hospital in critical condition after a fire broke out at a busy campsite near Cultus Lake early Wednesday morning.

Chilliwack RCMP say the fire began inside an RV at Sunnyside Campground shortly after midnight. The RV was quickly engulfed in flames and first responders rushed to the scene.

Many campers awoke to the sound of sirens. Among them was Anna Blefare, who was with her young family at a campsite nearby. She says the children were sleeping when they suddenly heard screaming outside, followed by some explosions.

“When we got out we saw the flames,” she said, adding she quickly woke up her children. The family was able to get into their car quickly, and fled to a nearby parking lot.

“We were shaking and panicking,” Blefare said about hearing screams and explosions from a nearby campsite.”

They were able to return to the campsite about an hour later, but she is still processing what happened. She says her young daughter has been left traumatized.

“We keep hearing screaming in our head,” she said, noting many other campers were also left incredibly shaken.

A camper captures the aftermath of a massive RV fire Wednesday in the Cultus Lake campsite. (Photo courtesy: Anna Blefare)

She was one of dozens of people who were forced to leave the campsite with only a few minutes notice in the middle of the night.

“Nothing like being woken up by screaming as a massive fire is happening in our campground right now,” she wrote on Twitter. “Didn’t even have time to hook up the trailer. Woke up the kids, and we are all trying to evacuate.”

Photos of the fire posted to social media show the full extent of the damage. The fire is believed to have spread to a nearby car. It’s unclear how the man was injured but a photo of someone trying to put out the fire was posted online.

BC Emergency Health Services says two paramedic units responded, as well as an air ambulance. They describe the man’s injuries as “critical.”

The RCMP says the cause of the fire is not suspicious and is believed to have started in an air conditioning unit.

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