News | DrumhellerMail

Encana aids Carbon Fire Department to defuse potential gas threat

The quick action of the Carbon Fire Department and support from Encana helped stave off a potentially deadly situation in Carbon on Thursday afternoon.
   About seven homes had to be evacuated after an 1,100 gallon propane tank that contained about 800 gallons of gas was compromised in downtown Carbon at the intersection of Bruce Avenue and Grey Street.
   Mike Still is a Carbon firefighter and also works for Encana. He explains that afternoon an individual was attempting to load the full tank on to a trailer when it dropped and cracked a valve.
   “Another inch and it would have probably emptied itself extremely rapidly, and in that case we would have lost half the town, if you do the dispersion models on a volume that size being released,” said Still. “It is something you don’t even want to think about.”
   He understood the gravity of the situation and quickly contacted his boss at Encana. It turns out there was a crew from Catch and Release, which had a portable flare set up in the area. They ran line and set up the flare far away from the town centre.
   “They were actually able to control the flow and bleed it off in a controlled environment,” said Still. He said it took from about 4 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. to flare the 800 gallons of propane.
   “We got lucky that Encana had crew close by and they told us to wig out, get over to Carbon and help,” said Still, “they (Encana) were awesome.”
   The Carbon Fire Department worked throughout the night to monitor the breached tank and keep the tank cool and stable.
   Carbon Fire Chief Kerry Morgan was grateful for the company’s help in this situation.
   “The situation could have escalated to extreme had we not been able to access Encana’s resources and Catch and Release so quickly,” said Morgan in a letter to the company. “We are extremely grateful for your contribution to our community; to the safety of our residents and the protection of our homes.”

Drumheller woman dead following vehicle rollover

    A Drumheller woman is dead and a Hanna woman was airlifted to Calgary with life threatening injuries following a single motor vehicle rollover on Highway 544 east of Patricia
   At roughly 3:38 a.m. on Tuesday, August 13, Brooks RCMP and the Patricia Fire Department were dispatched to the rollover. Two occupants of the vehicle were found to have been ejected during the rollover.
   Initial investigation indicates the vehicle failed to negotiate a bend along the highway, resulting in the rollover. Brooks RCMP continue to investigate and are not ruling out alcohol as a factor in the rollover. No charges have been laid at this time.
   A 19-year-old female from Drumheller was pronounced dead at the scene and a 20-year-old female from Hanna was airlifted to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary with life threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle is unknown at this time.
   The names of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.

Local riders take top spots in Drumheller motocross races

Barett Christensen, front, races to a first place finish, with Spencer James, right, close behind during the 85 cc 7-11 year old event on Sunday, August 4.

    The Drumheller Off Road Vehicle Association track was packed over the long weekend with riders from all over Alberta competing the Alberta Motorsports Championship Series.
   Overall, Drumheller’s riders each put in strong showings. They were up against between 250 and 300 of the province’s best riders.
   Some of the stiffest competition faced by the Drumheller riders was each other.
   “One thing that was pretty cool was in the 85cc 7-11, Spencer James took first on Sunday and Barett Christensen was first on Monday. They battled back and forth with each other. They were some good races to watch,” said Sherry Christensen, who helped organize the races.
   Barett would also go on to win first place in the 65cc PeeWee race both days.
   Decklin Christensen had a strong weekend, finishing first in the 85cc 12-16 race on Sunday and second the following day. He then placed second in the Monday Super Mini race.
   Greg Quantz finished first in the Junior Mx-1 race on Sunday and Monday. Quantz would also finish first in the Junior Mx-3 race on Monday.
   Daniel McNaughton had a strong weekend, finishing second in the Junior Mx-2 race on Sunday and Monday. He also finished first in the Junior Mx-3 race on Sunday and placed second the following day.
   Ben Fooks took top spot in the Vet Master race on Monday.
   Some of DORVA’s veterans also competed in the 40 Plus races. Glenn and Brad Peake took first and second in the 40 Plus race on Sunday, with Ryan Sisson coming in fourth. The following day, Brad would come in third, followed by Brent Plante in fourth, and Sisson in fifth.
   With the races being held in Drumheller, new riders were given an opportunity to test themselves in a competitive setting.
   “We have some new riders who came out. It is great to see them trying out the sport. A lot of them just do the hometown track, because they know it and don’t necessarily want to travel around,” said Christensen.
   Not only was the track packed with riders, dozens of volunteers supported the event. In total, roughly 60 volunteers, including the Drumheller Titans, helped out.
   The motocross season isn’t over quite yet. The riders who have been competing all summer in the Championship Series will finish up the season in September. On September 7, they head to Brooks for round 8, followed by the final round of the series in Calgary on September 15.
   The overall winners of the Alberta Motorsports Championship Series are determined by who has the most points at the end of the season and are awarded at the Alberta Motorsports awards later this year.

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