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A hole was burned in the deck of the new and improved bird blind at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre sometime Saturday morning. (Supplied/Todd Nivens)
LOOKING FOR TIPS

Fire causes damage to brand new bird blind at Nature Centre

May 1, 2021 | 1:41 PM

Staff at Red Deer’s Kerry Wood Nature Centre are thanking their lucky stars after a fire at the sanctuary overnight.

A week ago, Executive Director Todd Nivens and crew welcomed the first visitors to a 60 foot longer, safety-enhanced walkway and bird blind over the lake just behind the nature centre.

The project was a City of Red Deer capital item which extended the walkway to 220 feet.

Early Saturday morning, a Nature Centre interpreter was out for a walk and noticed the flames still burning about 15 centimetres high.

Red Deer Emergency Services members attended to make sure the blaze stayed extinguished. The damage was already done, but Nivens admits it could’ve been much worse, if for example, the wind had been stronger or the wood had been drier.

“Please join us in extending our deepest gratitude to the fire crew that came out to take care of the problem,” says Nivens in a Facebook post. “This was a hard blow this morning. Our community – you amazing visitors and supporters – have been so great to us over the years, and you’ve been so supportive during the pandemic. We wanted so badly for you to have this structure and to use it to safely connect with nature. This is a setback for all of us.”

The bird blind will remain closed for time being. A temporary fix could allow it to reopen next week, but a more permanent fix possibly won’t happen until the winter when the ice freezes over so that workers can get to the structure’s underside.

“If on the off chance you happened to be in the sanctuary prior to 8:00 a.m., and if by chance you happened to see anything out of the ordinary, please phone the Kerry Wood Nature Centre and let us know,” adds Nivens. “Nobody was injured.”

The Kerry Wood Nature Centre can be reached at 403-346-2010. If you have any tips, contact Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

It’s not yet known how repair costs will be covered, but Nivens says the outpouring of community support since sharing about the fire on social media has been overwhelming.

Red Deer Emergency Services confirm the fire has been deemed suspicious and the file has been passed on to RCMP.