Officials ask public to steer clear of fires

By Lethbridge Herald on April 14, 2025.

Fire crews responded to two homes fully engulfed in flames on Saturday in the westside neighbourhood of Garry Station. Photo submitted by Makayla Cote

Weekend blaze drew onlookers who only got in the way

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – apulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services is reminding residents to stay away from emergency scenes to help emergency crews get access to where they need to go as quickly as possible, because every second counts. 

Troy Hicks, chief fire marshal with Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services, says that as much as they appreciate the photos and videos shared by members of the community to help them see the various stages of a fire, sometimes their presence hinders operations. 

“We want to make sure they stay out of the way,” says Hicks. “Stay off the street, so our LFES members have room to show up, set up their trucks, do a 360 to know what they need to do, officers can do their jobs, firefighters can get their equipment ready to go and attack the fire as fast as they can,” says Hicks.

On Saturday, 20 firefighters from five stations arrived at the 1200 block of Pacific Circle West, in Garry Station to find two homes fully engulfed in flames. Crews worked in challenging wind conditions to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading beyond the two affected properties. No injuries were reported, damage is estimated at $1.75 million, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

The houses backed onto a field at the edge of the Garry Station subdivision, which created the challenging wind conditions. 

Hicks says he understands everyone gets curious when emergency events happen, maybe because they have never experienced an emergency themselves, and he believes those attending the scenes are not doing it with malicious intent, but he hopes residents understand that their actions can cause delays for emergency crews. 

“Think about it: here in the city, with only two ways in and out of the west side of the city, with the grass fires from years ago, our fire trucks for here in downtown could not get across whoop-up drive, because so many of the public were driving there to see how close the grass fires were getting.”

He says they need people to get out of the way. He would like people to think about the possibility that it’s their house that’s on fire: wouldn’t they want the emergency crews to reach it as fast as possible? 

“So just get out of the way and let us do our job. There will be pictures on social media, we share information and pictures and video with media as soon as we can. The information about the fire will get out there, we just as the public to be patient and let us do our job.”

With high intensity winds prevalent in Lethbridge, especially in newly developed areas where there are no barriers on open fields, the risk of fires spreading quickly increases, as was proved on the weekend. 

“Fire needs fuel to keep burning, which could be sheds, pallets, wood, couches, mattresses, all that kind of stuff,” says Hicks.  “So, the more of that stuff that you can keep away from your backyard, the side of your home or even the front of your home, the better off you are.” 

He says that by doing that, people can mitigate the fuel risk that will allow the fire to grow. 

“Another thing that you can do is to make sure your area is properly watered. Well watered, green grass, watered trees, watered hedges, all that helps as they are harder to burn. They will still burn, but it will take longer because they hydrated and doesn’t dry out as fast.”

Hicks says unfortunately, sometimes fires will happen regardless of how much you take care of your property, but taking those precautions does help to minimize risk or at the very least help the fire from getting out of control. 

“At the end of the day, if a fire does happen, the less fuel you have on your property will equal the more time you have to evacuate,” says Hicks. 

Ideally, in the event of a fire, those nearby will evacuate as soon as they become aware of the fire, in case their property becomes affected, which in high wind conditions can happen quickly. 

“I do know of people that will try to spread their house down with water, but you’re keeping yourself in danger by doing that,” says Hicks. “Best thing you can do is, never assume someone else has already called 911, do it yourself.”

He explains that the more calls they get about a fire, the better it is, because this helps dispatch knows where the fire is. Sometimes people will call in a panic, and they don’t know the details such as the address of the house that’s on fire. 

“If neighbours start calling as well with their address, it’s easier for us to centralize where the emergency is and now, we know where to go,” says Hicks. 

He adds that the best thing neighbours can do is to clear the scene, to allow emergency vehicles quick access to the emergency, as every second counts. 

“If your vehicle is close to the fire, or close to the smoke and it’s dangerous, we don’t recommend getting it. Just get your family and get away from the property as best as you can.”