The Weyburn Fire Department is continuing their investigation into the cause of the fire at Mryglod Steel and Metals on Wednesday evening.
The fire fighters were out doing fire training on Wednesday evening at the Fire Hall on 16th Street, just south of where Mryglod Steel’s compound is located on Railway Avenue, and they spotted the fire shortly after 8 p.m., responding immediately with all five fire trucks and 26 fire fighters.
The fire was located in a large pile of plastic-coated copper and aluminum scrap wiring, and at first the flames were high as it burned hot, making it difficult for fire fighters or staff to get very close, said Fire Chief Simon Almond.
“We had to knock the fire down, as it was extremely hot,” he said, noting once the size of the fire was reduced, Mryglod’s was able to use an excavator with a metal claw to move in and separate the piles of scrap metal and wiring.
“As of right now, we are unsure as to what started the fire. It was a pile of scrap that was on fire and was kept contained to a very small area within our yard,” said Travis Mryglod in a statement released by the family on Thursday.
“By 12:30 a.m., all fires had been put out and under control. The area was monitored until 3 a.m. and there were no hot spots, smoke or steam left at all. No one was injured, no property or equipment was damaged and cleanup is already underway,” said Mryglod, adding their gratitude for the fast response of the Fire Department, Weyburn Police Service and EMTs to the scene.
“We are very grateful for all parties involved and the community for all of the kind words and support,” said the family in a statement.
Chief Almond noted the fire fighters were very grateful that the weather was more moderate than the previous week, when the temperatures were in the range of -30 degrees.
Asked if the Fire Commissioner’s Office would be involved, Chief Almond said he was going to call them for advice, but normally they would not be involved in the investigation as there was no large dollar loss or loss of life in this fire.
