Residents in Marengo returned home Friday afternoon after a fire ripped through a grain elevator in the village.
Fire departments from Kindersley, Eatonia, Kerrobert and Oyen were dispatched the structure at 10:46 p.m. Thursday.
As of noon Friday, a local state of emergency was lifted and power was restored.
Mayor Travis McKillop says he went through a range of emotions when he learned the elevator went up in smoke.
“It is going to have a huge impact on the community and surrounding area.”
“It’s a hub of agriculture in the region with the elevator being there and the G-Mac’s chemical and fertilizer company being there.”
UPDATE: Kindersley Fire are continuing to do “hot spot” checks as there are a lot of areas that are still smoldering. The crew will continue to be on scene for some time yet. You can see further photos of the scene here: https://www.kindersleysocial.ca/update-kindersley-fire-respond-to-marengo-grain-elevator-fire/UPDATE: The fire is currently contained, but the crew will continue to remain on the scene.Tonight at 10:46 p.m. the Kindersley Fire Department was dispatched to a grain elevator fire at Marengo. Kindersley, Eatonia, Kerrobert, and Oyen Fire Departments arrived on the scene. We will keep you posted with details as we learn more.
Posted by Kindersley Social on Friday, October 9, 2020
The wooden elevator is owned by Providence Grain Group, a producer-owned Canadian company. CEO and president Milton Miller says they are still assessing the damage.
“There is a lot of information to process,” he said.
“To the best of my knowledge there was nobody injured in the actual firefighting. All of the Providence employees were out of the building at the time it caught fire.”
Investigators have yet to determine what caused the fire.
Marengo is located 45 kilometres west of Kindersley.