A screengrab shows Enderby, B.C. One volunteer firefighter has been killed and another has been injured in an explosion and fire in Enderby on December 29, 2011.
A recently married volunteer fireman died Thursday following a fire and explosion at a business that builds log homes in Enderby, about 35 kilometres north of Vernon.
Only the charred rafters and some posts remained as investigators sifted through the rubble at Sperlich Log Construction to determine exactly what happened. The company builds post-and-beam structures that are sent to Japan, Germany and across Canada.
Vernon RCMP spokesman Gordon Molendyk said the Enderby Fire Department was called out around 4 a.m. The fire in a building under construction was brought under control within an hour. But shortly after 5 a.m., an explosion occurred in a nearby shed.
Firefighter Daniel Botkin, 29, was killed and a second firefighter, who was not identified, sustained injuries that were non-life-threatening in the explosion. He was treated at the scene. Mr. Molendyk, a retired RCMP officer, said in an interview the cause of the explosion was not yet known.
Mr. Botkin was the third generation of his family living in the community of 3,000, former mayor Dee Wejr said in an interview hours after the fire was extinguished.
"He was a community-minded man, willing to put his life on the line for [the residents of the area,] she said. "It's going to have a huge impact on this community. It is going to be really tough."
At the Enderby fire hall, a firefighter who identified himself as Shane was shaken by Mr. Botkin's death. "He was a really good guy," the firefighter said in a phone interview.
Mr. Botkin had been volunteering with the Enderby Fire Department for around five years and had plans to go "up North" to pursue work as a firefighter, Shane said. While volunteering, Mr. Botkin had also worked at a number of local businesses in recent years, he added.
Mark Coleman, coroner for the Interior region, said an autopsy would be held to determine the cause of death. The "obvious assumption" was that the fire and explosion caused the death, but he was not prepared to say the exact cause until an autopsy was performed.
The Enderby Fire Department consists of 24 volunteer firefighters, three pumper trucks, two tankers and a rescue truck.
Premier Christy Clark and Public Safety Minister Shirley Bond issued condolences to Mr. Botkin's family.
"Firefighters set an incredible standard of heroism," Ms. Clark said in a news release. "They run toward dangers when the rest of us flee. And they respond to each call knowing they may risk their lives in order to save others."
Ms. Bond said firefighters who volunteer epitomize "selfless devotion to the safety of their neighbours and communities."