Homeowner and firefighter focus on positives following South Lethbridge fire

He says his day started just like any other with he and his wife Donna getting ready to go to work at the Salvation Army where he is a major.

His dog, a Yorkie named Sophie, seemed particularly energetic and they decided to bring her to work with them, which is not something they normally do.

Bladen got the call just before 2:30 pm that homes in his area were on fire, so they immediately went home.

When he arrived on scene and realized what had happened, the couple knew there was nothing they could do. However, he remained optimistic.

“I have my life, I have my wife, I have my dog, and the rest of it, we can sort it out.”

He was pleased to learn that his neighbours all made it out safely and that no one was hurt.

“A husband, a wife, four beautiful children and a dog all got out. At the end of the day, where it started, why it started and all of that stuff, that’s not really so much my concern. My concern is that my neighbours are all safe and we’re safe and, you know what, houses can be rebuilt.”

From the moment that photos started to surface of the fire, Bladen says he and his wife were flooded with phone calls from people checking to make sure they were OK and what they could do to help.

Their house is owned by the Salvation Army, so Bladen wanted to make sure people knew that the Salvation Army will continue to operate as normal.

They and the neighbours both have insurance on their homes, but they do not yet know how much money they would get from it.

Fire Prevention Officer and Fire Investigator Troy Hicks echoed many of Bladen’s positive sentiments.

“The biggest thing to say about this incident is that it’s a large incident, however, we have three homes involved and zero injuries, which is fantastic.”

Members from all of Lethbridge’s fire stations immediately responded to the blaze and ended up calling for assistance from Coaldale. Altogether, about 50 personnel were on scene.

The fire broke out at the hottest part of the day with the high being around 35 degrees.

Hicks says that kind of heat does come with some extra complications, but it is nothing they were not prepared for.

“We have safety officers on scene, we have people manning a board on scene of knowing how long a person is on air, how long they’re in the fire, and it does come out that we will be told and we’ll have to tell our people to take their gear off and go to rehab, it’s time to get some water in you and get some energy back.”

What Hicks was most impressed with was the help that was offered by the nearby residents.

“It warmed by heart yesterday to see the locals come out, offering water and Powerade and Gatorade to our firefighters when they were in rehab. We all know how hot it was yesterday, so trying to get their energy back and be ready to help. I even saw some of the local ladies coming out with Tupperwares full of cake and goodies to give our guys some snacks and that’s so awesome to see.”

At this time, the cause of the fire is still unknown. There is currently no evidence to suggest a criminal element.

LNN stopped by the scene just after 10:00 am Wednesday, and at that point, Hicks said they had just started to dig through the wreckage.

“From everything we can see right now, it’s very apparent the fire did start in the garage. It’s just through witnesses and interviews and through trying to dig through this, we’re going to try to see what caused it.”

Hicks estimates the damages will be at least $1.5-million.

For the most part, he says the public was good about not getting in the way of their firefighting response, but there were a couple of times where police had to tell people to back away.

He is asking families everywhere to ensure they have an emergency plan in place that is regularly reviewed.

(Lethbridge News Now)

by David Opinko

Homeowner and firefighter focus on positives following South Lethbridge fire

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