Battleford firefighters responded to a structure fire on 26th Street near 1st Avenue Thursday. (battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Blaze contained

Fire crews respond to house fire in Battleford

Feb 19, 2021 | 2:21 PM

The Battleford Fire Department received a call Thursday afternoon, shortly after 1:30 p.m., of a house fire on 26^th St. near First Ave. W. in the town.

No one was injured, as all occupants had safely exited the home, along with a pet rabbit retrieved from the house.

Fire crews were on scene within six minutes, with the blaze already a fully-involved fire upon arrival.

Fire Chief, Larry Gabruch said the crew made immediate entry into the structure for size-up, which revealed at that point, the fire was already travelling through a center vent, a product of many older structures built during the early 1900s.

Battleford firefighters in action, combating the blaze, Thursday. (Submitted photo/Battleford Fire Department)

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Gabruch said in this case, the fire originated in the basement which contained no exterior windows, making for immediate difficulty in attempting to ventilate.

“Our crews advanced to the lower level and encountered [an] extreme fire load, with zero visibility, so the decision was made to pull them out of that environment,” Gabruch said, adding from there, the crew attempted to suppress the fire on the main floor by utilizing piercing nozzles directed through the floor into the subspace underneath it.

As the fire continued to travel rapidly, Gabruch said the main floor became spongy leading to concerns of structural collapse. At that point, the crew retreated to what the chief called a ‘purely defensive attack,’ utilizing piercing nozzles that were punched through the exterior walls, and later to the second level, to fight the blaze which had crept up to the attic.

Ultimately, the crew was successful in putting the fire out, although the structure will be deemed a total loss. Gabruch said the heating appliance in the basement is what is believed to have caused the fire, though it remains to be seen if there will be a further investigation into the matter.

He said the copious amount of water used to put out the fire has left the entire area extremely icy, adding while the structure remains intact, it is impossible to secure. Because of this, there will be a further assessment into the importance of investigating the cause of origin, and if it is safe for the department to do at this time with the amount of ice.

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CJNBNews@jpbg.ca

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