By Angela Brown

Residents had seconds to escape flames

Jun 9, 2017 | 12:02 PM

Karen Blanchette was in her kitchen Thursday afternoon when a sudden noise alerted her to a shocking situation.

When she went outside she saw smoke and fire at the property next door, and only had time to grab her purse and the keys to her vehicle before leaving in the panic.

“I heard a loud bang and I ran outside to look,” she said. “A man was standing there telling me my neighbour’s house was on fire and I had to get out.”

Area resident Clayton Boucher said he was driving by when he saw the fire and immediately stopped to help.

“The adrenaline kicked in,” he said. “The flames were ripping high.”  

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He saw the house next to Blanchette’s at 1722 Centennial Cres., where the fire started, was fully engulfed in fire, and the roof of her house was on fire. He and several other good Samaritans came to ensure everyone was out of the houses that were burning. Boucher said Blanchette didn’t know her house was on fire when he came to her door. 

He went inside to make sure she escaped safely and rescued her little Shih Tzu dog which was still in the house.

“I alerted the neighbours. I did what I did. We were working together,” he said.

Boucher and the other helpers then went to the house next door at 1722 Centennial Cresc., where the fire started.

They saw a young woman running out. She told Boucher she was sleeping downstairs when the fire broke out. She was crying because her dog was still inside and she couldn’t find it to get it out.

Boucher heard the dog barking from outside.

“We couldn’t go in, there was too much smoke. You could feel the heat,” Boucher said.  

Fire chief Albert Headrick said the fire department responded after receiving a call at 4:15 pm. When they arrived they found “two fully involved structures.”

Headrick said crews located the water-line quickly and brought the blaze under control to stop the fire from spreading.

“The fire was stubborn but through the efforts of the firefighters, and the quick action of the crews, we were able to contain the fire to those two residences,” he said.

When firefighters arrived at the property at 1722 Centennial Cres. the house was fully engulfed in fire, and the house next door at 1732 Centennial Cres. was also on fire. Everyone was out of the houses when the fire department arrived.

Firefighters ran to set up the aerial ladder to fight the fire at the taller house at 1732 Centennial Cres., while crews were also battling the blaze at 1722 Centennial Cres.  

NB firefighters used two fire engines and their ladder-truck to help put out the fire.

Headrick said the NB fire department had enough staff to handle the size of the blaze.

Headrick said firefighters found the family’s small dog hiding in the basement of the home at 1722 Centennial Cres. at around 9 p.m.  

“The dog took refuge in the basement of that structure that originally caught fire,” said Headrick. “The dog did not perish. During our secondary search we found the dog in good health. Firefighters took the dog to the ambulance and we provided oxygen.”

The firefighters then took the dog to a local veterinary hospital to be checked out.

Town of Battleford firefighters also came in and manned the North Battleford fire station because NB firefighter resources were depleted while responding to the two house fires. The local emergency responders also assisted during the fire.

NB firefighters finished putting out the last of the fire and stayed until around midnight checking for remaining hot spots.

The two houses were completely destroyed in the blaze.

Headrick said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The RCMP and the office of the fire commissioner are also assisting in the investigation. 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW