Photo: Facebook / County of Grande Prairie

By Shaun Penner

County Fires

Cooking appliances cause fires in County Friday and Saturday

Dec 21, 2019 | 2:44 PM

County Regional Fire Services have been busy responding to three calls over a 15 hour period Friday night and into Saturday morning.

Two of those calls for service were for fires caused by cooking appliances that were too close to the house.

The first call came in around 8:10 p.m. Friday evening to a home near Range Road 85 and Township Road 734, south of La Glace.

Upon arrival, crews noted that a deep fryer being used outside was the cause of the fire. Crews were able to contain the fire to the side of the home.

Another call came in at around 9:07 a.m. Saturday morning, which had the Clairmont, Dunes, Bezanson and La Glace stations responding to a home east of Bear Lake, along Range Road 70. Wembley and Sexsmith Fire Departments also responded to the call.

Flames were seen coming from the roof of the home upon arrival, and crews were quick to work at containing the fire. They were successful, containing the damage to the roof and interior ceiling. They were also able to save the Christmas tree and gifts located inside the home.

The cause of the fire was deemed to be a smoker that was being used on the side of the home. The fire then spread up the siding to the roof of the home.

“When utilizing cooking appliances such as barbecues, fryers and smokers, ensure they are not up against the side of your home,” said County Regional Fire Services Chief Jason Nesbitt, in a release. “These items should be placed in areas with no combustible materials nearby to ensure that if something does go wrong, the chance of your home catching fire is significantly minimized.”

To cap off a busy time for regional fire crews, off duty members helped respond to a call at a commercial property in Clairmont at around 10:48 a.m. Saturday, while crews worked at the home near Bear Lake.

Smoke was found coming from the lunchroom of the business upon arrival, which was deemed to be caused by an overheated furnace motor. No fire was reported from that call.

County Regional Fire Services say no injuries were reported in any of these cases.