SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. - A woman made a call to 9-1-1 on Friday afternoon after being startled awake in her home by a strong oil odour.
“I was lying down because I’m a pensioner, and then I woke to the smell of oil and I thought, ‘it can’t be.’ I got up to search the house and when I got to the living room you could see the smoke starting. But the fire alarm didn’t go off.
“I could see strands of smoke, but no flames. And then I looked out the back door and could see the smoke pouring out the flue, so I called 9-1-1 right away,” said occupant Bev Getson, who shares the home with her son and dog.
Firefighters responded to the call made by Getson at 31 Sunshine Park in Summerside, around 4 p.m.
Fire Chief Jim Peters said the furnace malfunctioned and filled the house with smoke.
“The owner quickly shut the furnace off, which was the right thing to do and then called us. We are checking to make sure there was no extension into the rest of the building. It will just take a few minutes, but there doesn’t appear to be any damage.”
Two fire trucks and 25 firefighters were on scene, before the home was cleared shortly after 4 p.m.
Peters concluded, “The owner did the right thing.”
