A trailer in the Willow Park Greens trailer park was destroyed by a fire on Friday night.
Just before 10 p.m., members of the Estevan Fire Rescue Service were called to a structure fire. When they arrived on the scene, they found the trailer fully engulfed.
“Crews did set up and establish water suppression for operations and made a fairly aggressive interior structural attack into the home, however, after approximately five to 10 minutes, crews were informing of signs of impending structural collapse of both the floor and the roof,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser.
Firefighters were forced to retreat into defensive positions, and continued to do so until the fire was extinguished.
The fire was not allowing crews to enter the home, and with the structural compromise, firefighters had to be pulled back.
Feser said the fire department spent several hours at the scene.
All family members were able to escape the home. A few minor injuries were reported, including a shoulder injury and burns, but those didn’t require treatment by Estevan Emergency Medical Services.
The family has been displaced from the home, and Feser said it appears the home will be a total loss.
“We called in the Canadian Red Cross, and they are offering assistance at this time,” said Feser.
A GoFundMe page has been started for the family, identified as Ryan and Alicia Koch. As of Monday evening, the campaign had raised $1,635 of its $2,000 goal.
Shelley Porath, who started the campaign, said the family lost everything in the fire and ran out with just their pyjamas. The money can help out with immediate items they need until insurance kicks in.
There wasn’t any damage to the surrounding units, other than possibly some smoke damage.
“It was kind of a heavy, dense atmosphere, so it wasn’t allowing the smoke to rise as it normally would,” said Feser.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
