By ELIZABETH NOLAN
DRIFTWOOD STAFF
Salt Spring Fire-Rescue crews could not save a large waterfront home from destruction after it caught fire Monday night, but were able to extinguish the blaze before it could spread to the surrounding Sunset Drive neighbourhood.
The home was owned by Michael McAllister and his wife Lisa Spitale, who were away from the island Monday night.
“Our home was destroyed along with all contents. We are devastated,” McAllister told the Driftwood via email Tuesday afternoon.
“I have received many emails throughout the day from ‘once upon a time children’ of family and friends who feel like they have lost a part of their childhood because of the fire,” he added.
Firefighters responded to the residential structure fire at 856 Sunset Drive around 8:40 p.m., arriving at a dramatic event that was witnessed by adjacent hillside neighbours and impacted those further away. One Salt Spring resident reported seeing the flames from across Sansum Narrows at the Crofton ferry terminal, while some Epron Road residents were woken up later that evening by the smell of smoke.
For more on this story, see the June 7, 2017 issue of the Driftwood newspaper.