by R. Bruce McIntyre
Eganville Leader
Cobden — A garage containing a tractor, propane tanks and a very large supply of wood was completely destroyed last Friday afternoon at the residence of Ward and Donna Faught on the road that bears their name. Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. Faught were not home at the time, and their home was spared from the flames that burrowed out of the garage less than 20 metres away.
Whitewater Region Fire Chief Wayne Heubner said the cause of the fire is not suspicious.
At approximately 12:45 p.m. on Friday, Brian Zedow, who was working nearby on Faught Road, saw flames and smoke coming from the garage and called 9-1-1. When the call came in, Chief Heubner put out the call for all five stations to respond to the scene.
“I notified all stations and all available personnel to respond to the fire,” Chief Heubner said. “I called for a full crew because of its location and the fact it is the beginning of March Break. With the kids out of school and families heading out for the weekend, I had no idea how many guys would be able to respond.”
Chief Heubner said he has approximately 70 firefighters in total from the five stations (Cobden, Beachburg, Westmeath, Haley Station and Foresters Falls), but given the time of year and work commitments, he had no idea who was in the area.
Chief Heubner said when he arrived on scene he heard small explosions coming from inside the garage. Upon his arrival, he was joined by five firefighters and they immediately set up a perimeter to contain and douse the blaze as they waited for additional personnel.
“We had no idea what was inside that barn (garage),” he said. “Hearing the explosions from inside the structure, and with two very large propane tanks within 20 metres of the garage, presented the need for us to contain the fire as quickly as possible. A few minutes after our arrival, we had about 15 more men show up to help us fight the blaze.”
Chief Heubner credits the firefighters for bringing the blaze under control so quickly. At the time of the fire, it was approximately -10 degrees, but the bitter wind coming off of Muskrat Lake made it much colder and it presented challenges for the firefighters.
Another reason for having all stations respond was the need to replenish the water supply. Chief Heubner had five trucks on scene, and a truck from Westmeath and Haley Station spent much of the afternoon transporting water from Cobden back to the barn(garage) which is located approximately 15 km west of Cobden. He said it was too dangerous to attempt to break through the ice on Muskrat Lake as he was not sure of the depth of the ice and did not want to risk the safety of his crew.
Dave Ostroski, a Commander with the County of Renfrew Paramedic Service, arrived on scene at approximately 1:15 and was notified there were no injuries directly related to the fire. He requested an ambulance to be dispatched to the scene due to the fact some of the firefighters fought the fire for an extended period of time and the nature of the materials inside the barn caused a very thick layer of smoke for the firefighters. There was also a chance of frostbite given the bitterly cold wind conditions.
Commander Ostroski said it is common for paramedics to monitor firefighters after they have used two tanks of oxygen to ensure they have not encountered any breathing difficulties.
Chief Heubner conferred with personnel from Hydro One and they were able to cut off the hydro supply to the barn and avoid having to cut power for the residence a few metres away.
