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Highridge-area home destroyed by fire

Barrhead Regional Fire Services and Busby Fire Department firefighters join forces to extinguish the blaze
highrige-house-fire
Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS) responded to a massive residential home fire on Range Road 15, near Highridge, at about 3:30 p.m., April 21. Fighting the blaze, they received assistance from fire-fighters from the Busby Fire Department, which supplied a water tanker and a specialized four-wheel unit.

BARRHEAD - A County of Barrhead family are now homeless after an April 20 fire devastated their home.

Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS) firefighters received a report of a structure fire on Range Road 15, near Highridge, at about 3:30 p.m.

When firefighters arrived, they found the home totally engulfed in flames.

"It was a large two, story 3,400 square-foot, with a walk-out basement with a timber frame, so there was a lot of material to burn," BRFS chief Gary Hove said, adding the homeowner's young son reported the fire.

"He entered the home and smelled smoke and then did some investigating and found that there was a fire in one of the upstairs bedrooms."

Because of the distance from Barrhead, Hove called on the assistance of the Busby fire department.

At first, he just requested one of their water tankers, but when he saw a nearby dugout, he also asked them to bring their four-wheel drive fire engine.

"It was able to get down to the dugout and we used it to draw water up to our water tankers and to run a few handlines from," Hove said.

As for what caused the fire, Hove said it is still under investigation but noted determining the cause will be difficult.

“By the time we could get inside to look for a cause, it was pretty destroyed,” he said. "Finding any clues after the fact will be very difficult as the fire started on the second floor, which is now in the basement. As it started in a bedroom, maybe a short from something plugged in, but that is just a guess."

Adding to the difficulty for firefighters, Hove said, was the smoke plumes dropped glowing embers, which sparked a number of nearby grass fires.

"Having a wildfire start and spread was a real threat, so I dedicated three firefighters to put out the fires that were popping up in the fields."

Hove also noted that two RCMP members were involved in the firefighting effort, adding they were among the first on the scene and that they helped him remove two vehicles parked in front of the home with his command truck.

Not including the Busby contingent, 18 firefighters were involved in extinguishing the fire. They were on the scene for roughly five hours, returning to the fire hall at about 9 p.m.

The next morning, Hove and a small crew returned to the site with a small water tanker to extinguish three hot spots that popped up overnight.

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com

 


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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