An investigation continues into the cause of a fire that ravaged a trailer located on Fallen Timber Road.The residents were not home when the fire started on the evening of March 14, Cremona fire chief John Newbery said.ìThe family is OK, but they did lose some cherished family pets,î Newbury said, declining to expand on the type of animals that were inside the trailer.The fire was reported when one of the owners of the trailer arrived home and saw smoke coming from the residence.ìHe did briefly open the door because of the pets,î Newbery said.ìThere wasn't a visible flame at the time, but an incredible amount of heat. Basically, he couldn't go any further.îThe owner then shut the door to the trailer, a decision Newbery said was key in keeping the fire contained.ìQuite often, with this type of structure, by the time we get there, because of the distance, if it's got a supply of oxygen like this could have had, then it would be nothing but a smouldering pile by the time we get there,î Newbery said.In addition to the Cremona Fire Department, the Sundre Fire Department and Carstairs Fire Department were also called for assistance, providing needed additional manpower and water tankers.Town of Carstairs fire prevention officer Darryl Nielsen said the outside structure of the trailer is still standing, but parts of the roof are missing and the inside is gutted.ìIt will be pretty close to a total loss,î Nielsen said.The location of the trailer did pose some challenges for fire crews, he said.ìA challenge that we had with the fire was the distance from resources, both the fire hall and water sources.îWith the extra time needed for fire crews to reach a residence located a long distance from a fire hall, Nielsen believes preparation is important, citing the importance of a water source or farm pre-plan.Including cleanup, firefighters were on scene for about four hours.Newbery said the owners of the trailer are presently staying with family members who live in the area.The fire occurred within the jurisdiction of the MD of Big Horn, which will conduct the investigation into the cause of the fire.The Cremona Fire Department was the primary responder due to a mutual aid agreement with the MD of Big Horn.
