The Cochrane Fire Department responded to three separate structural fires within a 24-hour period during the weekend of Jan. 24-25.
All three structures were destroyed and two people died in one of the fires.
“Never in my career have I seen three fully involved structure fires within a 24-hour period,” said Fire Chief Richard Vallée.
At approximately 9:21 p.m., on Jan. 24, crews responded to a residential structural fire at 123 Namah Road. When they arrived, the home was fully engulfed.
Due to the rural location of the property, a tanker shuttle operation was established, ensuring a continuous water supply was available for fire suppression.
Seventeen firefighters, responding with three fire trucks, battled the blaze for approximately four hours in -30 C temperatures. Ontario Provincial Police and Cochrane District EMS were also on-scene assisting with the incident.
Vallée said four occupants were treated on scene and transported to Lady Minto Hospital for further medical care.
The next morning, at around 7 a.m., firefighters responded to a mobile home fire at the Vaillancourt Trailer Park.
Crews managed to confine the blaze to the trailer, resulting in minimal damage to neighbouring homes.
Later that day, firefighters were dispatched to another fully involved structural fire, this time on 14th Avenue.
Over the course of the day, a total of 25 firefighters were engaged in fire suppression operations and despite the extreme cold, no mechanical issues were reported and personnel were able to carry out their duties.
Cochrane Mayor Peter Politis took to social media to express the community’s grief and support on Jan. 26.
“Over the weekend, our Cochrane Fire Department responded to three separate structural fires within roughly eighteen hours,” he said. “Each of these incidents resulted in the complete loss of the structures involved.”
Politis said the community is grieving the loss of a 10-year-old girl and her 60-year-old grandfather, who gave his life attempting to save her in the residential fire on Namah Road.
He also praised the volunteer firefighters who risked their lives in extreme winter conditions.
“Their willingness to step into danger, time and again, for the sake of their neighbours is an act of profound selflessness,” Politis said.
“This weekend demanded everything of them, and they responded with courage, professionalism and heart. We owe them our deepest gratitude.”
He urged residents to review winter fire-safety precautions, such as keeping vehicle and home heating exhaust pipes free of snow and ice, ensuring smoke alarms have working batteries and keeping flammable items away from heat sources.
“Cochrane is a resilient community,” Politis said. “We grieve together, we support one another and we move forward with compassion and care.
“May we honour those we have lost by looking out for each other and keeping our homes and families safe.”
A GoFundMe page has been created to support the family who lost two members to help with medical expenses and funeral arrangements: https://gofund.me/e49f1130b
All three of the fires remain under investigation and officials have noy yet released any information on their causes.