31 October 2008
House Damaged in Brocket Blaze
Pincher Creek Alberta - One house was severely damaged
and 13 others evacuated on Monday during a massive grass fire on the Piikani Nation Reserve.
Piikani Nation Fire Chief Floyd Provost says the fire was started off the reserve just before noon. Canadian Pacific Rail workers were
doing maintenance work, grinding and reshaping the railway track, when the grass fire started on the hill just west of the reserve in
the Municipal District of Pincher Creek.
From there the fire rapidly spread.
At its largest, Provost said the fire stretched 1.8 kilometres in length and half a kilometre wide.
At noon 25 kilometre an hour winds carried the fire on to the reserve and area firefighters started the battle.
By 2 p.m. winds had picked up to 40 kilometres per hour and floating embers set alight the roof of one of the houses on the reserve.
Provost said while firefighters managed to extinguish the flames, the house has been badly damaged by smoke and water. None of the
five occupants of the house were at home at the time of the fire and they have all been billeted in Pincher Creek until alternative
accommodation can be found for them.
"The fire was more contained to the roof and side of the house", explained Provost, adding that most of the material
contents had been badly damaged by smoke.
Provost said at one point the fire jumped north across Highway 3, which was closed for two hours in the midst of the blaze. The fire
chief said there was a concern that the fire would head down to the river valley and cut off Brocket's main water supply or, equally
alarming, head back to the gas station creating a potential catastrophe. Luckily firefighters managed to knock the fire down before it
reached that point.
Pincher Creek and Fort Macleod both sent assistance to Brocket during the fire.
Three units were sent from Pincher Creek and two from Fort Macleod. At its peak there were 50 firefighters on site, plus neighbouring
volunteers who showed up to help out.
In total 318,000 litres of water were used during the seven and a half hours that firefighters were working on the fire.
CPR is still tallying the damage caused.
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