"It went very, very quickly," says Brenda-Waskada Reeve Maurice Saltel in response to Tuesday morning's burning of the iconic Waskada elevator.
The fire was first noticed by the 5-year-old son of Waskada Fire Department member Carson Spense, when young Oscar woke his mother (mom is also a member of the Waskada volunteer fire department) shortly after 5:00 am.
A quick text to Deloraine Fire Department brought support from the northeast, and soon Melita Fire Department joined from the northwest.
By 8:30 am the burning Agricore elevator collapsed, luckily in the right direction.
"It was amazing to me just the number of people who were called in and the number of people who helped out - everything from the volunteers to making chili and sandwiches and providing water," shares Reeve Saltel, " and all of what we do in southwestern Manitoba to help out."
All are pretty much in agreement the fire started by a lightning strike from the passing thunderstorm that night as the fire started at the top of the elevator and worked its way down.
"We know for sure that there was a thunderstorm directly over Waskada in the night," explains Saltel. "That was the bad luck and the good luck in this whole event was just the way it fell, causing the least amount of damage that could possibly happen, just by the direction it fell. And we were experiencing high winds the day before, and that would have been a major thing had the wind been as strong as it had been the previous day."
"So, you know, it was really bad luck getting struck by lightning and it was bad luck that it started. But in the end, the property damage was the least amount you could expect," he adds.
Saltel also gives credit to young Oscar who was the first to see the fire and alerted his parents immediately.
Reeve Saltel shared his highest respect for the attending fire fighters who responded so quickly to what could have been catastrophic.
"We had Deloraine Fire Department, and the Melita Fire Department come and help and they're just a fantastic," says Saltel. "You need a lot of resources for this sort of thing because the potential for it to turn out much worse than it did was there. And it was just nice to have all the equipment and the people and the firefighters that were needed in case it slid the wrong way. We were lucky it didn't."
Saltel attributes the success of the firefighting operation to consistent and strategic training within our local fire departments.
"Everyone was prepared, everyone was coordinated, and kudos go out to the fire chiefs who organized it all, who made sure that everything ran smoothly. And it did. It was well coordinated. It's all planned out. In all the time we spend meeting, going over and over and over in the hopes it never happens, you know, but it did. And so, all that time paid off in something where no one got hurt. And that's a great thing."
Reeve Saltel reflects on budget time and the expense of having a strong fire and emergency services team is an important investment in the community as a whole.
"We all have to pay into that, and just to let the public know it's a very worthwhile thing. It's well done and badly needed."
"So, you know, when I think of fire chiefs and fire department members in our all of our rural areas - buy them a cup of coffee, say thank you because they do a great job!"
Cleanup is now on the docket for Brenda-Waskada to dismantle and haul the pile of rubble left behind. "What we will repurpose it for, I don't know at this point, but I'm sure the public will have input into it," he adds.
By the end of the day after school was over, kids were in the park nearby playing soccer, says Reeve Saltel.
"So, life is going pretty much back to normal, except that the skyline is a bit different right now, and that's going to take some getting used to," he added sadly.
(photo credit for the majority of pictures Sharlene Bennie, Jeff Smart and Ronda Palmer)