If it weren’t for the quick thinking of the owner of a motorhome that burst into flames last night the damages could have been much worse.

At about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 29 the Drumheller Fire Department and the Rosedale Hall were called to a fire at Pinters Campground. Fire Chief Bruce Wade says that while the fire is still under investigation, it is not suspicious and appears it was a mechanical issue.

“It looks like it had to do with the fridge. He pulled into the site and put power to the unit, and noticed a fire around the vent of the furnace,” said Wade.

The owner of the motorhome made sure his wife and young child were out of harm’s way, and then quickly drove the unit out of the campsite surrounded by trees and bushes.

“That was really good on his part,” said Wade. “The damages were just to the motorhome unit.”

The department responded with pump trucks from Rosedale and the Drumheller hall, a tank truck and about 10 firefighters.

There were no injuries and the family was graciously put up in a cabin at the 11 Bridges Campground down the road. A tow truck returned Friday morning to pick up the burned out motorhome.

    The Munson Fire Department will have a new place to call home in the near future.
    At Starland County’s April 26 meeting, council conditionally awarded the construction of a new hall to Lear Construction management.
 Munson Fire Chief Steve Wannstrom is excited to see the project take off.
    The hall will have three bays as well as a training room space. The site will also have a truck water fill station.
    It will also be set up as an Emergency Operations Centre with backup generating capabilities.
    “Generally we are able to have the training room set up with different stations, so you can have police or ambulance set up and other departments. It will have extra phone, power and communications lines to have access to outside technologies,” said Wannstrom.
    The county acquired the land where the hall will be located near the village and the entrance to Highway 9-56.
    “It works well for the truck fill and it is close to the highway if you have a major incident,” said Wannstrom. “We will have a good sized yard out there for training.”
    It is a county project with a price tag of about $2.5 Million.
    The county has been budgeting its MSI funding to support the project. The Munson Fire Association is also raising funds to add to the project, and may add a wellness centre.
    The contract has been conditionally awarded, as they want to confirm the construction materials will meet the new National Energy Code requirements.