Structure fires in North Battleford continue to be high in North Battleford in 2021, according to the latest report from Fire Chief Lindsay Holm of North Battleford Fire Department.
According to his report presented to Monday’s council meeting, there were 11 structure fires in North Battleford for the year through May. That’s up from three for the same period last year.
But that total for 2021 went up even further on the weekend, Holm reported, as the department responded to two more structure fires. Those will be included in next month’s report.
Holm also reported the fire department has been busy responding to vehicle fires — there were four reported through May — and motor vehicle accidents. There have been 25 calls through May for cleanup and traffic control.
There has also been an increase in false alarms, up to 25 compared to one in 2020. Most of those seem to be instances where workers failed to call in to dispatch ahead of time, and Holm said they would try to address that issue.
A fire ban remains in effect in the city. Chief Holm said the precipitation in the last few days had helped the conditions in the city, and he said he had been thinking of lifting the fire ban.
But with the heat the city was getting this week, Holm said “I think it’s probably a prudent step to maintain that fire ban until we get a little bit more moisture.”
