ATHABASCA – A brother and sister are asking Athabasca County to forgive part of their fire bill after smouldering embers ignited a blaze that burned down two barns.
Sherman Doroshenko was joined by his sister Rosemary Delorme to ask the nine county councillors to consider forgiving some of the pair’s $4,550 invoice after firefighters responded to a call on the family’s farm.
“The fire wasn’t intentionally lit, I thought it was in the safe zone,” said Doroshenko.
“I don’t feel that I was in the wrong; I know accidents happen, but I don’t know if it was an accident. I lit a bale, thought it was just going to burn and disappear with the weather and melting snow, and apparently it went into the ground.”
Doroshenko’s trouble started when he burned an old hay bale on Feb. 8. He told councillors the website said he didn’t need a permit, and the county website just said to be aware of the weather conditions, so he thought he was good to go.
No one lives on the farm full time, so Doroshenko checked the burn site every weekend when he went up. When the snow started to melt in early March, he said there was no visible evidence of fire, smoke or heat.
Four days later, a neighbour called him to say that the property was on fire. By the time he got to the farm, the fire had burned down two barns the siblings say had great sentimental value but little else.
“When I got the bill, I was shocked. I was shocked about the fire, I was shocked about the bill. My dad was shocked about it, he said he’s paying taxes on the farm for many, many years,” he said.
“We’re a small family – we’re coping with my parents at the lodge, we’re helping them pay to stay there. We’re just having tough times with our own bills, insurance, and all that stuff. I’d like some compensation.”
At the heart of Doroshenko’s claim was an underlying current of changing information from the county. From changing info on the website to comments made by the county’s manager of protective services, Doroshenko said he was told one thing and then charged for another.
Athabasca County councillors are waiting for more information on what happened at the fire before making a decision, and the item is scheduled to return to a later council meeting once administration is ready to update them. In the meantime, councillors encouraged the siblings to look at what buildings are covered under their home insurance — Delorme said the house was insured, but they hadn’t checked to see if that coverage extended to the property’s outbuildings.
Currently, Athabasca County remains in a fire ban, meaning no new fire permits will be used, and existing fire permits will not be renewed. Fireworks and exploding targets are prohibited, as are open fires, including fire pits. Off-highway vehicle use is prohibited on public lands. For more information on the existing fire restrictions, visit Athabasca County’s website, or www.albertafirebans.ca.
