The acrid smell of smoke hung over Souris on Monday morning after a devastating grass fire swept into the community Sunday afternoon.
The quick and professional response of fire fighters was the only thing that prevented complete disaster.
Local man Dean Sherritt who lives a kilometre west of Souris was grinding steel in his shed when an errant spark set the dry grass on fire. That fire quickly spread to some hay bales and from there is raced across prairie land, destroying everything in its path and it was on course to hit the southwest corner of Souris.
“The fire just spread so fast and Dean didn’t have his phone with him,” explained Debbie Sherritt. “He ran to the house and call the fire department and thankfully they responded quickly.”
In fact the Souris Fire Department called in reinforcements from Oakland and Elgin and between the three departments they were able to extinguish the blaze before any homes were consumed.
Volunteers quickly assembled to assist in any way the could. Several residents were told to evacuate as a precaution and volunteers assisted them with packing up precious items and animals. “I saw the smoke and hurried over to see if I could help,” explained Sande Denbow, one of many community members who came out to help. “I helped people with packing and then went to make sandwiches for the crews.”
The fire did jump the railway and Plum Creek and firemen had to use flame retarded foam in an effort to save several homes if the fire did get that close. A shed on Ray McBurney’s land was engulfed and equipment was destroyed including an antique tractor. Tires that were stored in the shed by a local businessman were removed before the fire reached the shed.
The Sherritt family said the response from the firemen and volunteers was amazing and they are very thankful to everyone for their help in preventing a much worse disaster. It was reported that a fireball flew over several homes before landing in a field. Sherritt isn’t sure if it was luck or divine intervention but whatever your belief, residents were grateful.
“We are so blessed to live in such a community,” stated Debbie Sherritt. “Some of you may have witnessed the fireball that flew over several homes and into an open field. One may say how lucky that was while others believe another power greater than all of us helped us out that day. The outcome could have been so much worse and we are eternally grateful to everyone.”
