Homeowners are being warned to check their wood stoves and fireplaces after fire destroyed a home in Mirror.
Lacombe County Fire Chief Drayton Bussiere said while an official cause of the $250,000 fire hasn’t been determined, a wood stove is believed to be the culprit.
About 20 volunteer firefighters from Mirror, Clive and Alix responded to the blaze Friday morning. The 1 1/2-storey home was fully engulfed by the time they arrived around 8 a.m. and the house was a total loss.
The owner was not home and there were no injuries.
Bussiere said with the cooler weather arriving and more evening fires being kindled, homeowners are reminded to take precautions.
“We always like to encourage everyone to make sure they’ve got everything in tip-top shape, it’s serviced and cleaned and everything else before they start using it for the winter season,” he said of wood-burning stoves.
“It can be just a general cleanliness issue and the stove gets too hot,” he said.
Incorrectly installed stoves can also be an issue, especially if it’s a do-it-yourself special. Homeowners should ensure that all safety codes have been met and the stove is the required distance away from anything combustible, said the fire chief.
If in doubt, the same companies that handle fireplace and stove cleaning should be able to check that all specifications are met.
Three of the volunteers who responded to the Mirror fire were from the hamlet’s struggling department. Lacombe County council is expected to decide later this month whether to disband the department, which has only five of the minimum 12 firefighters necessary.
Other departments, especially nearby Alix’s, are expected to cover Mirror, which has already been happening for more than a year.
Bussiere said while response time is always a factor in fighting fires and limiting the damage, the fact Mirror is short staffed did not make a difference with this fire.
“It took a while before the neighbours saw the fire. I think it was probably too far progressed.
“If fire trucks were sitting out front at the time of the call, it probably would have been a similar outcome.”
Relying on the Alix department to fight Mirror fires is not expected to make much difference to response times. While the driving time from Alix will be longer, the difference will be measured in minutes, since Mirror is less than 10 kilometres away.
“If we had 15 members on Mirror Fire Department on Friday morning, I don’t think it would have made a big difference,” said Bussiere.
This is the third Mirror home lost to fire this year. Houses burned down less than a month apart in March and April.
pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com
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