Fire rips through farm field near Pense, farmer outraged over response by emergency crews
All that remains is a black charred field that stretches for miles after a massive fire roared through stubble crop fields in the R.M. of Pense on Monday afternoon.
The fire was apparently started by a lit cigarette that was thrown of a car, according to the farmer that first noticed the flames.
Nick Corna said he spotted the flames on his way back from picking up parts.
He called 9-1-1 and he and about 30 other farmers, including his father, tried to attack to the blaze and contain it.
"When I phoned 9-1-1, they dispatched Pense. Pense for us, we're in the very far corner of Pense. Their response time, it's not their fault, they're 35 minutes away from us,” he said.
There was still no fire department that arrived almost an hour later. Cornea said he called 9-1-1 again and questioned why the Moose Jaw Fire Department was not called.
"They told me because of politics and bureaucracy, they couldn't send Moose Jaw out,” he said.
A burned out semi truck sits in a burned out field southwest of Belle Plaine after a stubble fire roared through the area on Monday. (Gareth Dillistone / CTV News)Up until Dec. 31, 2014, the R.M. of Pense did have a Fire Protection and Rescue Services agreement with the City of Moose Jaw.
“In 2014, the Moose Jaw Fire Department informed us they would be increasing the annual retainer fee. In 2014 the retainer fee was $881.76. I do not have the exact proposed retainer amount, but I remember it was to be over $200,000,” said Cathy Ripplinger, the Administrator for the R.M., in a statement to CTV News.
Ripplinger said the retainer fee would not cover the cost of any callouts and instead, they invested that money into their own fire department.
Marysa Carmichael, the City Manager for the City of Moose Jaw, said there are instances when the fire department would respond to a fire that is not in their jurisdiction, but it would cost $10,000 or more.
“If the R.M. of Pense was there responding to the fire but unfortunately we're not able to handle it fully by themselves, they could have called us directly and at that point we would have supported them in fighting the fire."
Carmichael said the City of Moose Jaw does have several firefighting agreements with rural municipalities, but they do not have one with the R.M. of Pense.
It would be up to the R.M. to contact to city re-establish one if they choose to.
No one was hurt in the fire but a semi-truck belonging to a neighbour who was trying to help fight the fire was destroyed.
A semi-truck belonging to a neighbour who was trying to help fight the fire was destroyed. (Angela Stewart / CTV News)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc won't hold Liberals 'hostage' over seniors' benefits: cabinet minister
Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says the Liberals will not be 'held hostage' by the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand Old Age Security to more seniors.
Police identify Toronto victim of alleged serial killer
Toronto police have identified the woman who was allegedly killed by a suspected serial killer earlier this month.
Missing father, kids spotted in New Zealand wilderness 3 years after disappearance: police
A New Zealand man who disappeared with his three children in 2021 was spotted on a farm along the country's northwest coast, police say.
No jail time for man who fatally stabbed senior in Vancouver
A man who stabbed a senior to death in Vancouver's Biltmore Hotel building in 2020 has been given a conditional sentence for the killing, meaning he will not serve any jail time if he remains on good behaviour in the community.
B.C. billionaire posts third large sign criticizing NDP ahead of the election
British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby's own riding.
EXCLUSIVE: 'We were privileged to be friends with our sister': Family mourns murdered N.S. woman
More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to grapple with the loss.
Great white shark washes up on B.C. shore
In a rare occurrence, a bona fide great white shark washed up on a B.C. beach Thursday.
Job growth numbers 'good news' in Canada but there are concerns, according to an economist
An economist says the latest job growth numbers in Canada are 'good news,' but he has concerns following Statistic Canada's report.
Hot-air balloon strikes and collapses radio tower in Albuquerque during festival
A hot-air balloon struck and collapsed a radio tower Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the city's famous festival -- the second time in 20 years that a balloon has come into contact with the tower.