BALGONIE – More details from a fire that claimed a shop near Balgonie on Jan. 13 have emerged. The blaze noted response from four departments as the Balgonie Volunteer Fire Department received mutual aid from Emerald Park Fire Department, White City Volunteer Fire Department and the Pilot Butte Fire Department. White Butte RCMP were also on scene with an initial response.
Crews arrived on scene at approximately 9 p.m., and were able to leave within five hours. Balgonie Fire Chief Doug Lapchuk noted that in assessing the situation, the firefighters used a defensive attack on the structure.
“There was no life threatened, no [other] structures threatened,” he said. “We protected and assumed a defensive posturing on it.”
The ignition of the building is not being treated as suspicious.
“It was what used to be a riding arena, and they had converted it to a shop,” Lapchuk explained.
He credited the response of nearby departments for getting the fire under control in a timely manner. In total, there were 24 personnel, three pumper trucks, two tanker trucks, and five support vehicles on scene.
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