ESTEVAN - Estevan Fire Rescue Service members responded to four calls at the end of last week and performed other duties.
The first call for service came in on Friday at about 4 p.m. Firefighters were called to a large dumpster fire, occurring in the eastern industrial area of the city. The large bin was fully engulfed in flames, but fortunately, fire crews were able to extinguish it without incident. The source of the ignition hasn't been determined yet.
"We just want to have a reminder to all of our industrial and commercial area customers there to make sure that they are cognitive of what they're throwing away into garbage bins. Please, ensure proper disposal of whatever contents and make sure that there are no hot items that were maybe recently welded on or something that can be a viable ignition source being thrown into these large dumpsters," said Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser.
On Sunday at about 2 a.m., firefighters responded to a commercial fire alarm going off in northeast Estevan. Residents had evacuated the multi-unit apartment building upon fire crews' arrival. The complex was investigated. With no visible smoke or flame, it was concluded that the extremely high humidity level observed in the building triggered the alarm. The panel was reset, and residents were allowed to return inside, as there was no emergency occurring.
The same day at about 3 p.m., fire trucks were called to a transformer fire, occurring in a back alley in Hitchcock.
"Crews attended the scene and found that there was an issue with one of the transformers without any ground fires. [We waited] for SaskPower crews to arrive on scene and then we turned the scene over to them to fix and repair the issue," Feser said.
Another call for service came in at about 7:30 p.m. Two vehicles collided at the intersection of Kensington Avenue and King Street. It was unknown at the time of the call if there were any injuries or entrapments.
"Crews arrived on scene and found that there were two vehicles that had come to rest against the traffic light. Both vehicles received significant damage as a result of the collision. The individuals involved were able to extricate themselves out of the vehicles on their own prior to our arrival," Feser said.
Firefighters isolated all electrical ignition sources, cleaned up fluid leaks and assisted with traffic control. The scene was then turned over to the Estevan Police Service for further investigation.
Friday evening, fire crews were also out at the Estevan Motor Speedway, and were ready to provide fire suppression during the races.
