Careless disposal of “smoker’s materials” has been determined as the cause of a house fire in a Bearspaw community, according to representatives from Rocky View County (RVC) Fire Services.
The fire broke out in the home, which was under construction, just after 6:30 a.m. Sept. 20. Crews arrived from Calgary, Cochrane and Springbank to fight the massive blaze on Waterside Court in the community of Watermark at Bearspaw, near 12 Mile Coulee Road.
The home was vacant at the time of the fire.
No damage estimate has been released.
Fire crews from Calgary were the first responders to the scene, after neighbours noticed smoke coming from the unfinished, high-end home and called 911, said Judy Unsworth, district chief with RVC Fire Services.
“Crews did a stellar job and the fire remained at the initial home,” she said at the scene.
The RVC responder to the Bearspaw area is Springbank Fire Station 102. A Bearspaw firehall is currently under construction and is anticipated to be finished in the fall of 2014, said Stacy McGuire, communications coordinator with RVC.
But according to Lorne West, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) vice president for District 6, the Watermark home may not have been completely destroyed had Rocky View firefighters been temporarily set up in Bearspaw.
“… Had RVC had the recalled firefighters staffing a temporary facility in Bearspaw, they likely would have prevented a significant loss (given the speedier response time difference),” he said. “The county has known for some time they need an improved level of fire service in Bearspaw and continue to neglect to do anything about it.”
West said these temporary facilities are “quite common” while awaiting the completion of a firehall. Staff from Elbow Valley and Balzac stations was housed elsewhere while permanent halls were being built, he added.
“One fire in an unoccupied building does not create the need for a temporary station, but the County continues to monitor the situation,” said McGuire.
In addition to the house fire Sept. 20, the area also lost homes to fire in June and October of last year. In August 2013, a fire at a crude oil pumpjack destroyed a shack in Bearspaw.
Meanwhile, Bearspaw continues to grow. The breakdown of the county’s 2013 population numbers, calculated from this year’s census results, were released by RVC Sept. 23.
The release stated the 2013 population of Bearspaw to be 4826, up from the 2006 population number of 4237. That’s a difference of 14 per cent.
A Cochrane man is dead following a motorcycle crash west of Morley Sept. 22.
The 65-year-old male was piloting his bike down Highway 1A around 4 p.m., when he lost control of the vehicle, eventually landing in the north ditch, said Cpl. Mel Calahasen of Cochrane’s RCMP detachment.
The incident occurred about four miles west of Morley Road, near the Goodstoney Rodeo Centre.
“It is believed a medical condition resulted in his loss of control of the vehicle,” said Calahasen.
He added the medical condition has not been determined.
Mounties, along with Stoney Nakoda EMS and STARS Air Ambulance attended the scene. A doctor, a passerby, provided assistance to the motorcycle driver until help arrived.
Calahasen said alcohol and speed are not considered to be factors in the crash.
