Fire ruins equipment at Mission Ridge

REGINA – A fire at Mission Ridge Winter Park in Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask. caused significant damage to a Quonset hut Thursday afternoon.

At approximately 2:07 p.m., eight firefighters from the Fort Qu’Appelle Fire Department responded to reports of a fire at a maintenance shop in the west area of the park.

David Sabirsh, the Fort Qu’Appelle fire chief, said when the crew arrived smoke and flames were showing through the roof’s skylights.

“The interior was fully engulfed,” Sabirsh said.

Ben Nelson, a Regina resident who was at Mission Ridge with his nephew’s school trip, said he saw the fire when he was travelling down one of runs on the hill.

“I kind of looked over and I saw flames on top of the Quonset but no smoke,” Nelson said.

“I thought there was maybe a fire pit burning in behind the Quonset and then I took off my snowboard and walked a little bit closer and the smoke started coming.”

Sabirsh said the fire was out within an hour and 15 minutes and no runs were closed during the blaze. No injuries were reported, and no other buildings were affected.

However, Sabrish said a snow grooming machine was considered a total loss. The Quonset hut had some fire and a large amount of smoke damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.