ST. PAUL - A fire at a business located on St. Paul's main street consumed a building and required the efforts of 24 St. Paul firefighters on scene, along with Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority being called in with its aerial fire truck to help combat the fire.
The call initially came in at about 7:15 p.m. on Monday night, confirmed St. Paul Fire Chief Trevor Kotowich. He said he arrived on scene a little while after crews responded, and noted that when he arrived, it appeared the fire was mostly under control. But within minutes, the situation changed.
Unfortunately, conditions changed dramatically for our guys on the ground, said Kotowich. He says he believed they were making headway in battling the blaze, and a number of factors contributed to things turning.
“It’s a very old building," and firefighters came across a number of surprises as they were fighting the fire. A building of that age goes through a lot of renovations, added Kotowich. The building was located on St. Paul's main street at the intersection of 50th Ave, and 52nd St.
Being that the building has been used as an automotive shop, there were some very hazardous and dangerous materials inside.
Kotowich described the situation as a “very dangerous fire.”
“Things could have dramatically changed on us," he added, but thankfully, there were no injuries reported.
Recognizing the situation had turned for the worse, Kotowich made the decision to call in Bonnvyille.
"A building like this, we just can’t get above it," he said. The Town of St. Paul recently approved a motion to allow Kotowich to make an offer on a used aerial truck, if the opportunity arises. He explained that ladder trucks aren't used only for tall buildings, but in a case like Monday's fire, can be used to attack the fire from above.
“We may not see a fire like this for (a long time), but history tells us that it will repeat itself," said Kotowich, when speaking about the need for an aerial truck in the St. Paul area.
It wasn't safe to put ladders against the building, and eventually wasn't safe to send firefighters inside. He noted that the department did lose some equipment that had to be left on the roof when the situation became too dangerous for firefighters.
At that point, they went into a defensive position, making sure the surrounding buildings were safe.
Due to the hazardous materials burning inside, there was a “substantial amount of smoke that is not safe. It’s toxic.” RCMP were also on scene, and were ready to act in case neighbouring areas had to be evacuated. Thankfully, that did not occur.
"There are a lot of people to thank. I don’t even know where to begin," said Kotowich. A truck was called in from Xtreme Oilfield to help keep some of the water out of the town's storm sewer system. Also, heavy machinery did have to get called in.
People also brought coffee and hot chocolate to crews as they battled the fire - which is a gesture that is truly appreciated, according to the fire chief.
“Things like that go a very long way for us.”
Crews cleared the scene in the early morning hours on Tuesday.
At this point, there is nothing suspicious about the fire, and Kotowich anticipates that a cause will be released in the next day or two.
