Crews from the Jaffray and Baynes Lake Fire Departments responded to a fire at a privately run sawmill on Jaffray Baynes Lake Road Tuesday afternoon.
“The fire burned very quickly and the sawmill building was fully engulfed when our first crew arrived,” says Dave Boreen, Chief of the Jaffray and Baynes Lake Fire Departments. “Our firefighters took immediate action to protect the home, storage sheds, wood products and fuel tanks located on the property and were successful in keeping the fire contained to the original structure.”
A total of 10 firefighters were on scene for just over four hours and an additional tender was brought in from Baynes Lake Fire Department.
“One of the big advantages we had in fighting the fire was the use of our dry hydrants. Having access to the water supply through this new system proved invaluable,” says Boreen. A Dry Hydrant is a non-pressurized pipe system installed in a lake or other water source that provides a supply of water to a tanker truck. The RDEK undertook a dry hydrant project in the Jaffray/Baynes Lake area last year and has installed a total of five dry hydrants.
The sawmill and its contents are a total loss. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.