The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Shattering windows and blaring smoke alarms startled a Flin Flon couple awake last weekend as a late-night blaze ravaged their home. Fire Chief Jim Petrie says he is grateful no one was injured as flames destroyed 13 Boam St. late last Saturday, Aug. 4, and early Sunday. 'They awoke and saw the flames and went out the front door,' said Petrie, noting the fire shattered windows and set off smoke alarms that alerted the homeowners. Firefighters were notified of the blaze at 11:45 p.m. on Saturday. They arrived within five minutes to find flames as high as 15 feet shooting from the rear of the home. By then, Petrie estimates, the blaze had already been burning for an hour. With both occupants already out of the home, firefighters ran three hoses _ one to quench the flames and two to halt their spread to neighbouring houses and garages. But the house was not completely vacant. In exiting the home, the owners had taken one of their cats, but two other felines were still inside. After 'knocking down' the flames, Petrie said firefighters entered the house and rescued the cats, unharmed, from the basement. Petrie said the fire came 'very, very close' to spreading to nearby structures. Its intense heat cracked windows and damaged siding on the Eagle Law Office next door at 11 Boam St. It also melted siding on the garage at the back of the law office and partially melted a vehicle parked in the driveway at the home. An investigation by the Office of the Fire Commissioner ruled the blaze was electrical in nature and started on the exterior of the home. 'A fluke' Petrie called the fire, which caused between $200,000 and $250,000 in damages, 'a fluke.' The house is a write-off and will have to be demolished, he said. Nine firefighters spent about four hours on scene. Several people watched the blaze from a safe distance as the strong smell of burnt wood permeated the air. Petrie said the incident helps illustrate the importance of smoke detectors. 'It doesn't matter who you are, a smoke detector is going to wake you up in the event of a fire,' he said. Petrie also said the fire demonstrated the high-level capabilities of his firefighters. 'They worked really hard. They're a good bunch of guys and the firefighting on scene was really good,' he said. 'The boys did exactly what they were told.' Meanwhile, residents have recently been smelling smoke from a forest fire east of Pelican Narrows.
