A motorhome suffered significant damage in a fire in north Estevan Tuesday afternoon.
The Estevan Fire Rescue Service was called to the fire at about 2:30 p.m. When they arrived, they found that an off-duty firefighter, whose identity was not disclosed, had already arrived and began suppression efforts.
“He lived a couple of doors down and used some fire extinguishers to keep the fire at bay until the first-arriving apparatus was able to provide suppression streams,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser.
The motorhome was parked fairly close to two residences, so Feser said the efforts of the off-duty firefighter not only kept the motorhome from being fully engulfed, but also kept the fire from spreading to the nearby homes.
Once crews arrived on scene, the fire was extinguished without incident. Nobody was injured.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it looks to have been an electrical issue. Feser said it sounds like the owner had taken the vehicle out for a test drive, but it stalled several times and a boost was needed.
Upon returning to the residence, the motorhome owner could smell something was wrong, indicating that something could be burning. Smoke was coming up from behind the dash in the engine compartment, which prompted a 911 call.
“It’s a later model, older motorhome, so obviously you have wires all over the place,” Feser said.
Feser also credited the caller for contacting 911 right away after realizing there was a problem.
He noted the motorhome suffered fire damage to the front end and a lot of smoke damage.
