Sundre firefighters recently responded to a structure fire north of Sundre along Highway 587 and Highway 22.
Responders received the call at about 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27 and shortly thereafter arrived on scene to find a shop fully engulfed in flames, said Chief Marty Butts.
The blaze occurred in Clearwater County just on the Sundre Fire Department's boundary, he said.
The structure was past the point of saving, so firefighters got into a defensive mode and put out the blaze while making sure it didn't spread, he said, adding Clearwater County responders took over afterwards.
When there are serious fires or collisions just on or beyond the Sundre Fire Department's area, local firefighters generally assist, he said.
The boundaries aren't always right for Clearwater and Mountain View counties. Sometimes, the way the boundary works out, the Sundre Fire Department is much closer, so its members roll out to get the initial response started and are then later relieved once other responders arrive on scene. If, for example, a house is fully engulfed, especially in a rural area, firefighters take every measure possible to extinguish the fire or at the very least prevent it from spreading until the scene can be handed over, he said.
The number of calls the Sundre Fire Department has recently been responding to has been a bit lower than average and the fire chief said it has been more quiet than normal. However, the fire season started early this year on Tuesday, March 1 and the limited amount of snowfall this winter could potentially set the stage for a busy spring and summer.
Should that be the case, the Sundre Fire Department will be prepared ó for the first time since he can remember, Butts said there's a wait-list for volunteers.
"I don't ever recall having a wait-list," he said, adding he's been on the department more than 20 years.
There are 32 volunteer firefighters, and it's practically unheard of to have above-average numbers on the roster. Throughout the province and the country, many volunteer fire departments struggle to keep their numbers up, he said.
So the fire chief said he's pleased to see Sundre's department maintain such a high number of volunteers. Although he could only speculate as to why that is, Butts said the local department provides quality gear and training, which help to retain members.
