September off to a busy start for fire services in Stanstead
It was a challenging start to the month for the Stanstead station of the Memphremagog East Fire Service, which has dealt with six calls since Labour Day.
“It started pretty rough. We’re hoping it calms down for us,” said Battalion Chief Chris Goodsell.
A house fire on Leroy Robinson Street in Stanstead on Saturday was the most demanding of the calls so far this month, Goodsell said.
“The home was over 100 years old,” he said, explaining that no one was home when the fire started. It was called in around 7 p.m. on Saturday by a passerby.
While no one was injured, Goodsell said the fire was a challenge to tame.
“It started in the back of the house,” he said, adding that the fire eventually made its way into the attic. “It was quite stubborn,” he commented. “It got into the entire roofline.”
According to Goodsell, 21 firefighters from the Stanstead station helped with the intervention, along with 12 members of the Derby Line department, who arrived with a ladder truck.
“The RCMP helped with the fire as well,” he added. “They helped with circulation. In Stanstead, we're very lucky to have them around.”
“We’ve got a probable cause. It appears accidental,” the battalion chief said, explaining the details are still under investigation.
“We finished up at the station by around 3 a.m.” he said. “We went back the next morning to check hot spots,” he added.
The action continued with three calls on Monday, a car fire on Tuesday night, and a call yesterday morning regarding smoke at the customs office at the border station on the 55.
While always ready to answer a call, Goodsell said he hopes the one call per day average slows down a bit for the rest of September.