The Estevan Fire Rescue Service had a surprise endurance test during the early morning hours of Dec. 28 as they battled a blaze for eight hours just outside of the Energy City.
Firefighters were called to an explosion at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday at one of the industrial complexes belonging to X-Treme Picker Service Ltd. on Lamoro Street, just west of Estevan.
“We arrived on scene to find a commercial industrial structure fully involved with the adjacent building a few feet away, which was the administrative building,” said Estevan fire chief Shane Code, noting the fire was seen from great distances and resulted in multiple call-ins.
“We knew we were going to be there for a while,” he said.
No one on the scene was hurt, but several tractor-trailers, pickers and other machinery were damaged or destroyed. Code said a pickup truck, a dirt bike and numerous documents were salvaged from the site.
It took nearly five hours for the fire to be brought under control. Slippery conditions developed quickly as the morning went on, causing some troubles for the firefighters battling the blaze. A truck froze on site and a steamer truck had to be brought in to thaw it.
“We had a hard time with the water flow,” Code said. “A couple of pin hole leaks in the supply line actually resulted in one of our trucks being encased in ice.”
The Estevan Fire Rescue Service will not investigate further due to the location of the industrial complex, which is situated on property within the RM of Estevan. The RM may request further assistance from the local fire department.
Though the actual cause of the initial explosion is unknown, Code said he is fairly confident that the fire doesn’t fall under a suspicious scenario.
The estimated loss, the fire chief said, is estimated to be at around $1 million.
