Fire at chemical storage facility under investigation

It took a team effort to battle the blaze

Crews from Red Deer County responded to the scene at Burnt Lake Industrial Park just after 12:30 Thursday morning after a security guard spotted some flames.  

Red Deer County fire chief Drayton Bussiere said "there was nobody on site, in the building at the time. There just happened to be a security guard in the area that saw the fire and called it in."

According to Bussiere they needed extra help from surrounding areas to knock down the flames and contain the blaze. "We had crews on scene from Red Deer County, the City of Red Deer, Sylvan Lake, Innisfail and Penhold. So lots of members from lots of different stations helping us out."

Bussiere figured at the height of the fire there were about 45 firefighters and 12 pieces of equipment on scene. The additional assistance allowed firefighters to not only battle the blaze but also to be mindful of potential environmental issues. 

"We actually built a berm in the ditch to prevent the water and chemical run off from ending up in a storm retention pond that is in the area."

Bussiere added "We did have some air quality concerns for a large portion of the day and so we kept the area evacuated." 

According to Bussiere one firefighter suffered minor injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation and there isn't a damage estimate yet however Bussiere noted there was significant damage to the building and loss of contents.