During the afternoon of May 11, the community of Mannville was struck by tragedy when three families were displaced from their homes due to unexpected house fires.
According to the Director of Protective Services with the County of Minburn Mike Fundytus, crews were notified of the fire at 3:53 p.m..
“Our first trucks arrived on scene at 4 p.m. to find two of the homes fully involved and spreading to the third house. We brought the fires under control by 5:09 p.m. and had completely extinguished the fire by 8:30 p.m. It appears that the fire started on the exterior of the 2nd home (middle) and spread to the interior and over to the adjacent houses. High winds during the fire pushed the flames to affect the 3rd home by getting into the roof space and causing significant damage to that home as well,” stated Director Fundytus. “Staffing availability by our paid-on call members was also short which caused us to have to bring in a crew from our station in Innisfree.”
Director Fundytus also noted that they are still awaiting the report from the fire investigator they contracted to conduct the investigation and said, “There was a lot of damage making it hard to determine a cause. It may end up being not determined what exactly caused the fire.”
In response, the community quickly rallied together, forming the Mannville Fire Relief Committee to support the affected families.
The committee, comprising various local organizations, has been instrumental in coordinating efforts to provide aid to those who lost their homes. This collaborative effort highlights the strong sense of unity and generosity within the Mannville community.
“Monetary donations and gift cards are currently the most effective ways to assist the three families financially during this challenging period,” said a committee member. “We are grateful for the outpouring of support and generosity from the community.”
From May 20 to June 30, monetary donations will be accepted at Confectionery 881 and Mannville Credit Union under the name “Mannville Fire Relief Fund 2024.” These contributions will provide financial assistance to the displaced families.
Looking ahead, the committee may reach out to the community again to coordinate donations of specific items based on the families’ needs as they begin to rebuild their lives.
“The McQueen United church decided to organize a Community Barbeque on our local garage sale day, Sat. June 1st, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Gazebo with all the funds going towards the three families,” said Val Mytz. “What can you do? It will take volunteers to set up and take down tables and chairs, and if we organize two shifts working for the barbeque, not including setup of tables and chairs (9:30-12:30 p.m. and 12:30-3:30 p.m.) it will take approx. 10 to 12 people. We are asking for individual volunteers, on behalf of your organization volunteers or business donations/volunteers.”