Innisfail-area entrepreneurs Dereck and Andrea Van Sickle have lost their processing plan near Didsbury to a spectacular blaze.
The fire on March 15 required firefighters from Didsbury, Carstairs and Olds to respond but the River Rock Custom Processing plant, four kilometres south of Didsbury, was destroyed.
The conflagration ripped through the provincially inspected abattoir just 10 months after the couple reopened it to serve their Angus Store retail outlet. No one was hurt in the fire.
The Van Sickles started their River Rock purebred Angus herd in 2004, then opened the Angus Store retail outlet for Sterling Angus beefsteaks, burgers, roasts, smokies and jerky on their farm, five kilometres east of Innisfail on Highway 590.
“We were doing all our processing at River Rock,” said Dereck Van Sickle the day after the March 15 fire. “We'll be tight on supply at the store until we find another processor.”
“It's too early to say what comes next. The investigation into the cause has just been completed,” he said.
Van Sickle said he and Andrea must determine insurance coverage and related matters before making a decision on the future of replacing the burnt-out facility.
The investigation into the fire was conducted by the Didsbury Fire Department, said Jeremy Wagner of the Alberta Office of the Fire Commissioner. The cause was determined to be the overheating of a hydraulic pump.
The plant was previously occupied by Didsbury Meat Processing and was closed about 10 years ago. The facility was acquired by the Van Sickles.
The Van Sickles are third-generation beef farmers. They produce replacement cattle and finished beef. They grow their own natural forages, limit the use of antibiotics and don't use hormones. So the Sterling beef they sell is designated as “natural.”
In the wake of a rash of outdoor fires in Mountain View County, authorities imposed a complete fire ban March 10. Effective March 18, the restriction was amended to a partial fire ban.
Open fires, fireworks and recreational fires, unless they are in an acceptable firepit, and permit building fires are still prohibited.
Exceptions are fires in acceptable firepits, acceptable fireplaces, barbecues, household fireplaces and AER flaring. All current fire permits and fireworks permits are suspended.
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Dereck Van Sickle
"We were doing all our processing at River Rock. We'll be tight on supply at the store until we find another processor."
