On Saturday, November 18, 2017, the High Level Fire Department (HLFD) responded to a house fire in Bushe River.
Fire Chief Rodney Schmidt said that at one point, one occupant of the home went into the burning house in order to try and save his pet.
“That’s obviously something that we do not recommend,” Schmidt told the Trending 55 Newsroom. “I understand that people need to do what they need to do when pets are involved. But unfortunately in this case, the smoke affected the occupant, and firefighters had to go in and retrieve him when they arrived.”
The occupant had collapsed in a back bedroom when they found him. HLFD medics were able to treat him before EMS arrived. The occupant was taken to hospital, and was released the same night.
The pet, according to Chief Schmidt, actually managed to make it out on its own.
“The pet’s fine,” he said. “The pet had already exited the house by the time the occupant went back in to look for it.”
He adds that in terms of the investigation, he’s not able to offer much for information.
“The investigation is being done by the Office of the Fire Commissioner, as the fire did happen outside of the town limits,” said Schmidt. “So, it’s not within our scope for our investigation, so we are not managing it. All we know is that the fire started in the front living room of the building, but that’s all we got at this point.”
Also, Schmidt said that the HLFD also responded to two fires last week.
One involved hazardous materials on 104 Street on Monday, November 13.
“An explosion had happened due to chemicals being mixed in a garage,” Schmidt said. “The occupant mixed some hardware-store chemicals together that he shouldn’t have, causing extensive damage to the garage. The department also did some hazardous materials testing to make sure it was safe before going in.”
Another one was a chimney blaze on Wednesday, November 15 at Chinchaga Drive.
“That involved a chimney on a woodstove that had overheated,” he said. “Firefighters made quick work of this incident; they just put the fire out, as well as cleaned the chimney. The house was otherwise undamaged.”
No injuries were reported in either incident.
– Posted by BET
