This past week marked a solemn anniversary in the City of North Battleford.
July 20 marked the 25th anniversary of the fire that destroyed Hunters Trailer and Marine in North Battleford’s north end.
Hunter’s was a mainstay of the business community, putting North Battleford on the map with a massive inventory of R.V.’s, boats and other equipment.
The fire was major news not just in North Battleford but across Saskatchewan. Shown here are some examples of the news coverage that ran in the News-Optimist in the Wednesday, July 22, 1992, edition of the newspaper, as well as subsequent editions, about the fire story.
The front page of the Wednesday paper ran a photo, taken by then-deputy editor Doug Collie, of a firefighter battling the blaze.
The accompanying caption stated:
“This firefighter is one of about 40 from the city and town who battled a spectacular fire which broke out Monday evening at Hunters Trailer and Marine on Highway 4. The blaze, which ripped through the giant complex from about 8:30 p.m. to about 1 a.m., completely destroyed the northern two-thirds of the structure – the trailer and marine portion. The company’s vice-president in charge of operations, Mike Gauthier, has estimated total damage at $7 to $10 million. The sports shop, protected by a brick wall, was saved, although it has suffered smoke and water damage. Hunters owner Harry Bondar says he intends to open up shop again as soon as he can, noting he’s been in the business for 47 years and has built it up to the point where it’s an integral part of the community. Hunters officials began the massive clean-up job today.”
According to the news report of the fire by Collie and by Bonni Fingler that ran on the front page, the fire department had been called to the scene at 8:35 p.m. after a couple of employees, doing after-hours work in the repair section in the north portion of the building, noticed a smell of smoke.
By the time fire crews arrived, the fire was already well under way.
According to the report, five firefighters were rushed to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, and two remained in hospital overnight for observation.
It turned out one of the firefighters who went to hospital was Kevin Steinborn, now a city councillor for the City of North Battleford. He recalled in a 2016 interview that the Hunters fire was the worst fire he ever dealt with. “That was a massive fire and scary situations for everybody,” he said.
Not surprisingly, the blaze drew a crowd of onlookers. On pages two and three, a story from Fingler ran about how the spectacular fire drew hundreds of spectators to the Fairview area.
“No one was killed, but there were a few near misses – and a lot of upset fire and police – as motorists crowded to see the spectacle and failed to keep their eyes on the road.”
A plume of black smoke rose from the fire, which was visible all over the city.
Page 3 ran a story indicating Hunters plans to re-open in the Produce World building, as well as concerns from city, town and Chamber officials that the fire will hurt the entire community in terms of lost wages and fewer tourists.
There was a report on page two of one notable business directly impacted: “Vanguard, which manufactures motorhomes and other products for Hunters Trailer and Marine and other retailers, will be the first hit by the destruction of the superbusiness, since Hunters is a good retail marketplace for its products.”
The fire aftermath would end up dominating future editions of the News-Optimist in the following weeks.
The July 26 edition of the News-Optimist had further stories about the fire, reporting that 40 full-time employees out of the staff of 65 were being laid off.
The front page of the Aug. 2 edition included a photo from Bonni Fingler of Premier Roy Romanow, Hunters representative Blair Bondar, and Battlefords MLA Doug Anguish as they surveyed the damage. A story ran beside it with the headline “Help for Hunters coming if it’s needed, Premier says.”
Without question, the Hunters fire story was one of the biggest stories the News-Optimist has covered in its long history.
In an editorial that ran on the commentary page in the aftermath of the fire July 22, 1992, the headline stated “Hunters fire a terrible blow.”
“We hope all those involved in this terrible event will somehow find the strength to put it behind them and get on with the task of ensuring Hunters is rebuilt as quickly as possible – and stays in the community.”
