(Photo: Jim Pendergast)

By Troy Gillard

tough blaze

Crews battle mobile home fire in Penhold

Jan 25, 2020 | 9:35 AM

About $40,000 in damage resulted from a fire at a mobile home in Penhold on Friday.

Firefighters responded to the residence in Penhold Estates at about 2 p.m.

“Engine 1 arrived on scene to find heavy smoke coming from the building and flames running up the side being fed by the gas line,” says Penhold Acting Fire Lieutenant Bailey McKay. “We sent a crew in right away and they knocked down the fire in the rear.”

Penhold Deputy Fire Chief Sean Pendergast said, “It was a difficult fire to get as there was a metal roof with a double shingle roof over top and the fire was in the space between, so access was a problem. The fire was also underneath the trailer running along between the beams.”

The fire was so intense, Pendergast says, that crews had to cut several holes in the roof for ventilation and access.

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“Obviously, it was a difficult fire to get at but the crews did a great job containing the fire to the single unit,” says Penhold Fire Chief Jim Pendergast. “It was very hard work and taxed the firefighters both mentally and physically.”

Due to the lack of a nearby hydrant, crews had to roll out about 1200 feet of hose to and use a fire engine to pump water to the fire, Pendergast noted.

One firefighter was taken to hospital for treatment for a non-related medical issue before being released

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but officials note there were renovations going on at the time of the fire. Firefighters remained on scene until 8 p.m. checking for hot spots.

Four fire units and 3 support units and 17 firefighters from Penhold, along with two units and five firefighters from Innisfail, RCMP, Sheriffs and Penhold Peace officers, Atco Gas, Fortis Electric and Penhold Public Works all responded to the fire.