Fire rips through farm field near Pense, farmer outraged over response by emergency crews
CTV
All that remains is a black charred field that stretches for miles after a massive fire roared through stubble crop fields in the R.M. of Pense on Monday afternoon.
All that remains is a black charred field that stretches for miles after a massive fire roared through stubble crop fields in the R.M. of Pense on Monday afternoon.
The fire was apparently started by a lit cigarette that was thrown of a car, according to the farmer that first noticed the flames.
Nick Corna said he spotted the flames on his way back from picking up parts.
He called 9-1-1 and he and about 30 other farmers, including his father, tried to attack to the blaze and contain it.
"When I phoned 9-1-1, they dispatched Pense. Pense for us, we're in the very far corner of Pense. Their response time, it's not their fault, they're 35 minutes away from us,” he said.
There was still no fire department that arrived almost an hour later. Cornea said he called 9-1-1 again and questioned why the Moose Jaw Fire Department was not called.
"They told me because of politics and bureaucracy, they couldn't send Moose Jaw out,” he said.
