The cold and snow didn't slow down fire crews responding to a barn fire last week.
The RM of Swift Current Fire Department was called to a fire southeast of Swift Current last Wednesday. Upon arriving, they discovered a barn in a blaze. Working swiftly, they managed to beat back the burn and extinguish the inferno.
While not present at the fire, Louis Cherpin, Fire Chief for the RM of Swift Current Fire Department, was delivered a complete account of what transpired from the first phone call to the last ember being smothered.
"When [crews] got there, it was too far gone to save anything," said Cherpin. "So [they] did [their] best to maintain the surrounding areas and put water on it as much as [they] could."
The barn was not housing any livestock, and nobody got injured due to the fire. Being used for storage, it is still a major loss to the farm.
In total, it took about four and a half hours for crews to go from answering the phone, fighting the fire, and being back at base cleaned up and ready to go again.
The partnership between departments in the winter is crucial when helping with water. Typically, during the summer, farmers bring their water tankers to fires to help resupply firefighters. In the winter, they do not keep water in their tankers on the farm. Freezing temperatures and uninsulated tanks do not mix well, leaving fire departments depending on their own supplies.
"The City of Swift Current Fire Department did bring us out some water with their tanker," credited Cherpin. "We do want to thank them for that."