One person is deceased and another was taken to hospital following a fire in Bankview.
    The Drumheller Fire Department, EMS, and RCMP responded to a house fire at approximately 6:50 p.m., Saturday night on 2nd Street SW.
     Upon arrival, Fire Chief Bruce Wade said the house was engulfed and a female victim had been taken out of the residence by bystanders.
    The Mail spoke with Chris Thompson, who was driving by when he saw the smoke. He went to the house and banged on the windows while another passerby called 911. Thompson told the Mail he broke down the backdoor of the house and saw two feet. He and two other people dragged a female on to the back deck of the house. She was suffering what appeared to be from severe burns and was taken to hospital by EMS.
    The department responded with two pump trucks, about 18 firefighters and their rescue vehicle.
    “We had a quick knock down (of the fire). At this point in time, I am not sure of the status of the first individual but we do have a fatal fire at this site. At this point in time it is still under investigation.”
     He explains when there is an injury or fatal fire, the Fire Commissioner’s office is notified. The RCMP will also be conducting the investigation with the Fire Commissioner’s Office.

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Drumheller is in for a heavy dose of fire fighting skills in September. 

The Scott FireFit Championship is returning to the valley for a second time. 

The event showcases skills generally obtained through fire fighting in emergency situations. 

This year’s FireFit Championship kicks off on Friday night, September 9, with the corporate challenge. 

The corporate challenge allows teams from corporate businesses to run the course without any gear on. Organizer of the event and Deupty Fire Chief Duane Bolin thinks that more groups will participate in this challenge. 

“It can be used as a team building outing. We have about 8 groups so far. We are hoping to cap it at 30 groups closer to the date.” 

The second day of the event  is where the excitement begins. Firefighters from across Alberta will make their way to Drumheller in hopes of qualifying for the national FireFit championship in Calgary on Wednesday, September 15- Sunday, September 18. 

Bolin explains the importance of the Drumheller challenge. 

“We are hoping to get some people from Ontario and Quebec because nationals are hosted in Calgary the following weekend. This is the last regional event before nationals. It is the last chance to qualify for nationals.  It is a timed event and if you place as a top winner in a regional event you get a bye to nationals. If you finish in a specific time frame, you qualify for a wild card in nationals.”

In 2011, Drumheller hosted a FireFit challenge and the response was extremely positive, leading Bolin to introduce FireFit to the valley a second time. 

“The event was very well received in 2011. There was great participation from the town and it is great when you get a crowd out, that makes it better for competitors as well as the fans. It is almost better in a small town than in a city, the fan support is better in a small town, in a big city it is just another thing going on.”

To host FireFit in Drumheller, it costs $10,500. The organizers have done a specific amount of fundraising for the event, and have received funding from sponsors.  

“A huge part of the town support is getting the course up and bleachers set up. The town definitely helps out. We could not put this on without that support,” says Bolin.