A fire hall west of Calgary caught on fire on Wednesday. File photo
Some firefighters west of Calgary had to fight a fire at their own firehall this week.
On Wednesday, December 18, the Redwood Meadows Emergency Services responded to a fire at station 120 in Rocky View County.
Redwood Meadows Emergency Services took to Facebook to keep the public updated about the situation.
At 5:15 p.m., they let the public know that the back hall of Redwood Meadows Emergency Services was on fire, but the front hall was not in jeopardy at that time.
Nor were the community or forest surrounding the firehall.
At this time, the middle entrance to Redwood Meadows (1 Manyhorses Drive) was closed to all traffic, and extra resources were called in from Rocky View Fire Services to help with the fire.
At 5:35 p.m., Redwood Meadows Emergency Services reported that the back hall was fully involved with fire, and crews from Redwood Meadows Emergency Services and Rocky View County Fire Services were actively fighting the fire.
There was still no danger to the front hall, the community, or the forest surrounding the firehall at this time.
At 6 p.m., it was reported that the fire at the back hall of the fire station was under control, and crews were actively working to put out the fire.
Tosguna and EMS crews arrived on scene to help with the fire.
At 6:50 p.m., it was reported that the fire at the back hall remained under control, and ATCO arrived on scene to assist.
Then, at 7:05 p.m., Redwood Meadows Emergency Services reported that the fire at the back hall of the fire station was extinguished, but crews were continuing to work on hot spots.
At 8:05 p.m., it was reported that the fire was fully extinguished.
As a result of the fire, 120 Engine, 120 Tender, a bush buggy, and 120 UTV were all lost in the fire, along with extensive equipment and their SCBA refill station.
Meanwhile, the front hall, including 220 Engine, 120 Rescue, and 120 Rapid Response were not affected by the fire.
An investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the fire, which will be shared with the community.
Redwood Meadows Emergency Services stood watch overnight, making sure the fire didn’t flare back up, which it did not.
Today, they are doing an inventory of their equipment to determine the full loss with their insurance company, on top of the 4 destroyed vehicles.
“We begin this work with thankful hearts for the outpouring of support and encouragement we have received from fire departments and fire personnel across the country and our community,” Redwood Meadows Emergency Services stated in a Facebook Thursday morning about the fire.
But, they need help.
It will take them time to replace the Engine and Tender, which they rely on to support emergency response.
“Our immediate need is for donations of a new pick-up truck to replace the one we lost that supported grass fire and working fire operations and the UTV which also supported grass fire responses and on average 100 backcountry rescues annually,” the post continued. “We can’t do our important work without them. If you or someone you know might be able to help us, please contact RMES.”
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