By TERRY PUGH
No one was injured in a fire that destroyed one home and damaged two others in Warman early Wednesday morning, May 14.
“Smoke detectors saved lives today,” said Warman Fire Chief Russ Austin. “That’s a 100 per cent fact. You hate to lose a home and belongings; that’s super tragic. But you can never replace a life that’s lost.”
Austin said Warman Fire Rescue (WFR) members were dispatched shortly after 1:00 a.m. on May 14.
“We were called to a duplex structure fire on Redwood Crescent,” said Austin. “When we we arrived, the entire structure was fully engulfed and flames were shooting 20 feet out from the roof. The two adjacent homes were on fire as well. We immediately called in Martensville Fire Department to assist.”
Austin said the occupants of all three affected homes self-evacuauted safely thanks to their smoke alarms going off.
“They were able to get everyone out, including the kids,” he said. “The smoke detectors did their job.”
Austin said a total of 18 firefighters and five fire trucks battled the flames.
“The crews got the upper hand at about 3:00 a.m.,” said Austin. “Unfortunately, the one side of the duplex was completely destroyed; and the other side is likely a write-off as well and wil have to be rebuilt due to structural damage. The home on the other side also sustained some damage.”
The cause of the fire is undetermined and is under investigation.