An Abbotsford man saved his home from major damage last Wednesday when he used a fire extinguisher to put out a bathroom blaze.
It was the early afternoon when Gary Ahuja opened the door to the master bedroom of his home in the 3200 block of Rockhill Place and found smoke filling the room.
He immediately traced the source to the en suite, where flames had engulfed the area around the toilet.
Several family members were home at the time, including Ahuja’s two young children, his parents, and a visiting uncle and nephew. His wife and brother were at work.
He yelled for everyone to leave the home and for his mom to pass him the fire extinguisher from under the kitchen sink. His wife had purchased the item only about six months earlier.
Ahuja then extinguished the blaze, and fire damage was contained to the bathroom, while the rest of the home sustained some smoke damage.
Although the family had to stay in a hotel for a few days while the damage was repaired, Ahuja acknowledges that the situation could have been much worse.
“I’m just happy that everyone got out OK,” he said.
Deputy Fire Chief Mike Helmer said the fire was the result of an electric ceiling fan that seized up. The circuit breaker tripped, but not until after the fire started.