Fire crews in North Battleford responded to a structure fire, early Monday morning. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Blaze suppressed

North Battleford Fire Department contains structure fire

Dec 14, 2020 | 3:52 PM

Fire crews in North Battleford extinguished a structure fire early in this morning.

The city’s fire department responded to a call close to 4 a.m., on the 1300 block of 108 Street at the south side of a duplex. Department personnel quickly gained access to the building and contained the fire to the main floor of the structure.

“We had the fire under control within the first 10 minutes on scene, but the overall incident lasted about an hour and a half for our guys,” Deputy Fire Chief Colin O’Hara said.

Three occupants were home at the time of the fire and made it out safely. O’Hara said the upper floor is a complete gut job.

“It’s a structurally sound building, nothing to worry about for the neighbours, but the contents of the first floor will be a loss for the homeowner at this time,” he said.

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An electrical short in the family’s Christmas tree is believed to be the cause of the fire at this time. The occupants credited the smoke alarm for waking them during the blaze. O’Hara said this is something often overlooked when it comes to home safety.

“Having working smoke alarms and detectors do save lives,” he said. “It is what woke them and they gave credit to that. It’s a [good] reminder to check your smoke alarms and make sure they have operating batteries at this time.”

O’Hara added residents should remember when plugging things in to outlets make sure it’s clear the cords not in a pinch point, such as running under the tree stand, and make sure unplug them when you go to bed.

“If it’s a real tree, make sure you’re watering it daily,” he said. “Unfortunately this one was an artificial tree, but still caused a fire and displaced a family at this time of year.”

More Christmas safety tips can be found here.

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports