Four grass fires and one house fire kept the Dauphin Fire Department busy all weekend.
The first fire broke out Saturday afternoon after 2:30, and was a large grass fire by Stoney Point which was coming close to a home. Ochre River and Sifton Fire Departments were called in to help with the wide spread of the fire. The wind conditions pushed the fire on both sides of the Wilson River. This fire was deliberately set and without a permit.
Cam Abrey, Fire Chief, noted there was a second fire in Vermillion Park
“Just after 5:00 p.m., we had a grass fire here within the City of Dauphin in Vermillion Park. So while we’re still at the fire at Stoney Point, three youth from the City of Dauphin stopped in at the fire hall to report that there was a patch of grass on fire. We dispatched another truck over to that area in Vermillion Park just on the west side of Vermillion River and they quickly extinguished that fire. Thanks to the three boys that came in and reported that; it was quickly contained.”
When the crew returned from Stoney Point, they were dispatched again at 10:50 p.m. to go and assist Sifton with a fire near the old rail bed by the community pasture. Both fire departments battled the blaze until 3:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Abrey went to check on Stoney Point later on in the afternoon and found someone set a second fire on the south side of the Vermillion River. There was a risk of it jumping the dyke and damaging cottages, so Dauphin contacted Ochre River Fire Department again to help them with some back burn techniques to control the fire.
While battling this blaze, a call came in about a structure fire in the Dauphin in the northeast end. A single car detached garage was engulfed in flames and spread to the home. The basement and attic in the home were in flames. The fire was put out at 11:00 p.m. and there were no injuries. There are no estimates at this time as to the amount of damage but the fire was deemed as accidental electrical, stemming from the garage.
Once again, there were no permits issued for any of the grass fires set this weekend and anyone burning without a permit is subject to fines under the Wildfires Act in the Province of Manitoba. Anyone with any information on any of the grass fires that were lit this week is asked to call the Dauphin Fire Department or Dauphin RCMP.
