A Burnaby woman has been treated for burns to her arms after fire engulfed an old house at 1205 Sperling Ave. on Thursday afternoon.
According to Burnaby fire department Capt. Erik Vogel, the blaze at the home occurred in a front room and the woman suffered her injuries when she tried to drag out a burning mattress.
"Unfortunately, she suffered some burns to her arms," said Vogel. "We had six trucks on the scene, but this is an old wooden house."
Vogel advised people in a similar situation that instead of trying to fight a fire by themselves, they should call the fire department instead.
"We are trained to fight these situations," he said, adding that once firefighters got to the scene, there wasn't much they could do for the house on fire, but they could help save the neighbouring home at 1225 Sperling Ave.
Danny and Denise Milano live at 1225 Sperling Ave. and they missed all the commotion.
"I went out to Costco (around 12:40 p.m. and got back at 1:40 p.m.) and the place next door was on fire," said Danny. "I missed it all, but I do thank the firefighters for saving our home."
The Milano's home to the south of the main fire scene sustained some minor fire damage to its north side and roof.
Denise said her neighbours have been there for at least six years and the house that burnt down was more than 75 years old.
"The main thing is hopefully, everybody's safe," she said.
Burnaby firefighters spent several hours on Thursday putting more water on the house and trying to contain any potential spot fires. Burnaby RCMP members were also on the scene, mainly to control traffic along Sperling, but at least one Burnaby RCMP member was looking for clues on the property at 1205 Sperling Ave., which is a large, double-sized corner lot.
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