A fire near Dewberry claimed the life of one person over the weekend.
Firefighters arrived on the scene Saturday morning around 5 a.m. after the County of Vermilion River was called to the residential structure fire.
The first unit saw the house with visible flames and heavy smoke. The crews were packed up to make entry but were stopped due to deteriorating conditions. The battle with the fire lasted for several hours with help from community members and partners.
- Reimer family (who plowed the snow and laneway allowing the tankers to get through to deliver water).
- Emcon Services inc Dewberry Office who attended and dropped a considerable amount of sand to allow the crews and apparatus to gain traction.
- Selte Fuels Inc. for bringing diesel to the scene to fill the front-line pumper/engines.
- Medavie Health Services West for medical overwatch.
- Vermilion RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta) & County Peace Officers who controlled traffic flow and managed the entry points.
- Lloydminster Fire Department for their assistance in fire cause determination.
- Islay Fire & Kitscoty Fire Department for providing fire coverage during the event and afterwards.
- The dedicated EC911 Dispatchers who worked diligently behind the scenes.
- The County of Vermilion River Public Works who arranged for source water supply, flat beds and heavy equipment.
- Local churches and residents who dropped off food and coffee.
Due to the result of the fire the person inside the home passed away.
In a Facebook post, the Dewberry Fire & Rescue says their thoughts, prayers, and memories go out to the family, friends, and the entire community. The Facebook page changed its profile picture to include Lyle Wyness’ name on it.
The Northeast Zone Hockey Referees shared their condolences on his passing along with Hockey Alberta.