Following a blaze that took place in the early evening on Dec. 3 in Rivercrest, Cochrane Fire Services released more information regarding the incident on Wednesday morning.
Fire Chief Shawn Polley explained that they were dispatched to a structure fire in the community of Rivercrest at around 7:20 p.m., which involved two uninhabited homes that were under construction.
“The fire was spreading, threatening an occupied home to the east and another home under construction to the west,” Polley told The Eagle. “Thanks to the rapid response of our teams, crews, and our partners with Rocky View County Fire Service, we were able to contain the fire without too much loss.”
The fire is still under investigation, and Polley says it will take more time to collect all the evidence to find out more on what occurred. He added that the fire investigator will be working with the RCMP to ensure all facts are solid and straight.
“They’ll make a determination and report that up through support with the insurance companies,” he said. “So, they’ll come up with the primary cause.”
With the fire under control, the area will be monitored, and is currently under the responsibility of the Cochrane Fire Service’s fire prevention branch.
“The site security is up, right now we are working with the owner, which at this point would be the builder, at ensuring that the scene is safe,” Polley said. “While we have the investigation ongoing, we ask for citizens who do not live in that community to please not drive by or go for a tour. It is actually quite icy conditions from the firefighting activities.
“So, please stay away from that site, but ultimately over the next week at least we’ll have the site closed down,” he emphasized.
He added that if there is anything that is determined to be unsafe, some heavy machinery may be used to tear down any remaining structures.
“We may see some heavy equipment in there to knock down one of the garages that is still standing on one of the homes under construction,” Polley said. “So, we just ask the folks to stay away from that area.”
At this point, Cochrane Fire Services says they are not asking for public assistance on the incident. For now, if anyone has any information that pertains to the fire, they are asked to reach out to Cochrane RCMP.
Polley said that he would like to express his gratitude to the residents of Rivercrest for their patience following the scary event.
“I want to thank them for staying back and staying within the safe perimeters we had created,” he said. “We certainly appreciate their patience.”
He adds that he would also like to thank Cochrane Roads Department for bringing their sander and emergency sign trailer. He also thanks the W3 department for ensuring they have a steady water supply.
“It’s never a solo response, so we do really on having excellent response from our partners, including Cochrane RCMP,” he said. “So, at the height of it, we had our aerial, our engine, and three engines from Rocky View County.
“I think it’s important to know that there are lots of regional plans in place for these large events that happen within our community, and of course others.”
