Canada Dealership Loses Over 100 RVs to Fire

Nov. 17—Heavy, black smoke from approximately 100 recreational vehicles burning at an Abbotsford, B.C., RV sales center is visible south of the U.S.- Canada border in Whatcom County Wednesday morning.

The fire started in in an RV center, where hundreds of RVs are tightly packed together, Abbotsford Fire Chief Darren Lee said during an online briefing Wednesday, Nov. 17.

The center is located approximately 3 1/2 miles north of the U.S.- Canada border, according to Google maps, near Highway 1, and heavy smoke from the fire could be seen in Washington State Department Transportation traffic cameras along the Guide Meridian and in Sumas.

Most of the smoke is heading west, Lee said, and Abbotsford residents downwind from the fire were asked to keep their doors and windows closed if there is smoke in their neighborhood to protect themselves from the toxins in the smoke.

Approximately 40 firefighters are on scene, Lee reported, and their efforts are hampered by overhead power lines, though he said crews are working with BC Hydro to limit any dangers from the transmission lines. They are also taking steps to protect a propane filling station near the burning RVs.

Fortunately, floodwaters in the area that would have prevented firefighters from reaching the scene only 24 hours earlier have receded, allowing them to access the site from a couple of different directions, Lee reported.

Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun estimated there were between 400 and 500 total RVs at the center, "and they are parked tightly."

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