MELFORT — The cause is not known at this time for fire which burned down an inactive barn north of the city before the Melfort Fire Department gained control.
Melfort Fire and Rescue responded to the fire six miles north of Melfort on Oct. 5 at 6:27 p.m. The first truck was on the scene within five minutes of the call.
When crews arrived they found a fully engulfed barn as well as surrounding trees and grass on fire.
“Somebody driving by saw it and went and actually asked the homeowner if his barn was supposed to be on fire, and he says, “What are you talking about?” said Shaun Stewart, Melfort’s fire chief. “They called it in.”
The cause of the fire isn’t known at this time. There was no power to the building or natural gas.
While the fire did spread to the grass and brush, Stewart said the department was able to get control of the situation and put it out. Crews attacked the forward edge of the fire to prevent it from getting to nearby sites.
“The guys got out front and started putting it out with water we had onboard the fire trucks,” Stewart said.
“The wind did kind of die down so we were lucky in that sense.”
Once crews stopped the forward progress of the fire and had it completely contained they worked their way back towards the barn until it was finally extinguished.
When asked if there’s any information he would like to get out, Stewart said that while this doesn’t necessarily relate to this fire, if someone is having a controlled burn they should call into the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and Fire Safety's Control Burn number, 1-866-404-4911, and ensure all protocols are in place.
“If anybody’s having a backyard campfire, bonfire kind of thing, make sure they have an extinguishing source nearby whether it’s a fire extinguisher or a garden hose or a big bucket of water just in case sparks land on stuff and start it on fire.”
