As if North Battleford Fire and Emergency Services hasn't been busy enough, they were once again forced to respond to yet another nuisance garbage bin fire Sunday.
The fire was in a dumpster in the alley in the 9000 block of Panton Avenue. The blaze, reported at 6 a.m., was contained within eight minutes.
North Battleford has seen an increase in dumpster fires over the past year. In August, there were 29 garbage bin fires compared to 13 for the same period a year ago.
The increase has city officials concerned about the resources the fire department expends responding to these nuisance fires.
North Battleford Fire and Emergency Services has had their hands full dealing with other fire situations in the past several days due to dry conditions in the area. The dry conditions led to a fire ban being issued last week.
The fire department was called to deal with some vicious grassfires including one Sept. 28 west of Territorial Drive. That fire blanketed the city with smoke and needed the full resources of NBFES and other departments before it was brought under control later that afternoon.
The department was also called Friday to a smoke-detector activation after a pot on a stove was left unattended during the noon hour. A pumper and two firefighters responded to the home on 99th Street, but there was no damage.
