Powerlines cut while camper fire on Southeast Hill extinguished

By Collin Gallant on May 16, 2018.

Medicine Hat News

A camper fire in an alley on the Southeast Hill on Tuesday afternoon — one of three fire calls in the city Tuesday — forced utility crews to cut power lines briefly before firefighters could extinguish the blaze which had spread to overhead trees.

The call came in to Station No. 1 on Maple Avenue at about 1:20 p.m., and the fire was out about 10 minutes after that, according to Captain Warren Bridge of the Medicine Hat fire Service.

“We found a fully engulfed RV when we arrived on the scene and the fire had extended into the trees and the powerlines,” said Bridge. “It hadn’t threatened buildings (by that point), and we put it out with our main engine.

“The cause is still under investigation.”

Fire trucks and police cruisers blocked off the area, on the 100 block of Fifth Street, S.E., for about 30 minutes.

The blaze had spread to overhead tree canopy, and threatened power lines in the alley. They were cut by city utility workers before firefighters could hose down the foliage, and were being reconnected at about 1:45 p.m.

The blaze was limited to the trailer camper, which was a complete loss, but did not spread to other structures on the property, a converted older apartment block, or neighbouring houses.

Tuesday evening, fire crews responded to a vehicle fire on the Maple Avenue Bridge and a structure fire in Vista. A garage attached to a home caught fire and fire personnel were still on the scene at 9 p.m., but it was deemed ‘under control’ at that time, said Capt. Rob Cote.

Further information was unavailable at press time and both fires were under investigation, said Cote.