The period between Christmas Eve and New Year’s was mostly uneventful for the Sundre Fire Department.
“It was pretty quiet,” fire Chief Marty Butts said last Thursday.
From Dec. 24 to Jan. 1, Butts recalled just a handful of medical assist calls and added there were no major motor vehicle collisions.
While there was a house fire, that incident stemmed back to the week before the holidays, when on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 19, a resident returning home in Sundre’s furthest northeast corner noticed flames going up the side of a neighbour’s garage, said Butts.
“He saw the flames shooting up and hit the fire with a couple of extinguishers before we got there, which helped knock it down,” he said, adding firefighters arrived rapidly.
The blaze got into the attic and roof of the structure, along the way also partially melting off some of the neighbouring house’s vinyl siding, he said. Before long, the fire was contained to the garage and the house was saved, he said, adding the owners did not have to evacuate or abandon the residence right before Christmas.
The fire chief expressed unreserved gratitude for the neighbour who had not only the presence of mind to act quickly but also the knowledge to effectively use a fire extinguisher from a safe distance without endangering himself.
“That was greatly appreciated,” he said.
“We have to say thank you, because that definitely slowed the event down.”
The Good Samaritan’s actions undoubtedly helped ensure a more favourable outcome, as the fire was “well on its way” and could have been far worse, he said.
“With him and a quick response from the department, it turned out fairly good.”
The Sundre Fire Department ended the year with an increased call volume of about 300, up roughly 100 from previous years’ averages. But although the number of calls throughout the past year was “definitely up,” the holiday season was fairly uneventful, he said.
