An early morning fire in the Hamlet of Islay sent firefighters from the Islay Fire Station out the door at 1:22 a.m.

On March 16, Islay Fire, Vermilion Fire & Rescue Society and County #9-1 (Chief Hughes CVR) were dispatched, alongside RCMP, EMS, ATCO and EPCOR.

“Due to the early morning nature, and severity, of the call, it was unknown if the structure was occupied. A third alarm was sent to the Kitscoty Fire Department,” Fire Chief Hughes said.

Islay Fire Chief George Steiner was first on-scene and reported a garage fire with flames extending across to another residence. A quick fire attack to the exposures prevented any further fire spread.

All involved structures were evacuated and it was confirmed that no one was trapped inside,” Fire Chief Hughes said. “Upon arrival of additional units from Vermilion Fire, extra attack lines were pulled and the fire extinguished. Kitscoty Fire was stood down.”

Command was terminated by Chief Steiner at 3:00 a.m.

“Thanks to Medavie Health Services paramedics, RCMP Vermilion Traffic Section and Kitscoty RCMP for attending the scene and assisting, and our utility companies for making the area safe,” Fire Chief Hughes said. “Early morning fires present a different set of obstacles for firefighters as that is most often when people are sleeping. That raises the stakes, as the task shift from firefighting to conducting interior search operations for anyone that needs to be rescued. Thankfully, firefighters from Islay and Vermilion managed to ascertain that the involved structure was a detached garage and not a residence, and the secondary structure wasn’t fully involved and could be extinguished. In tight quarters, like you find in urban hamlets, the risk of fire spread is higher – so the faster firefighters can make an attack the better chances property can be saved. A reminder, dig out your fire hydrant, those precious seconds make a big difference”

A fire investigator has been assigned to this file, however it is not considered suspicious at this time.