Martensville Fire Department seeks tips on two major suspicious fires

Firefighters in Martensville battled two major fires overnight and into Tuesday morning using reinforcement from nearby towns to help.

Now that the smoke has cleared, investigators are looking for help from the public as they are suspicious in nature.

The call that started a busy run for the Martensville fire department came in the early morning hours.

“At three this morning we got called about this structure fire. It was fully involved upon arrival, crews worked though the morning to get it under of control,” Martensville Fire Chief Kurtis Dyck told CTV News.

Crews were also brought in from Dalmeny and Warman to help battle the blaze, which the chief says started in the back of Premium Select Auto Solutions, a car dealership on Centennial Drive.

“There’s a lot of stuff inside, a lot of automobiles and it was tough to get at because it was a metal building,” he said.

Twenty-five members fought the blaze including an aerial attack from the roof, where the fire moved quickly through the open spaces in the attic area. That aerial unit was brought from Warman.

The business is owned by Trena Pfefferle and Dean Belcourt.

“We're devastated to lose the businesses we've built and are unsure what the future holds but hope to rebuild in the community,” they told CTV News in a message.

As crews were wrapping up at that fire and getting trucks back into the station, they got a call that a house was on fire just a few blocks away.

“At 8:30 or 9:00 there was a report of a house fire. We scrambled to get to that,” Dyck said.

The residential fire started on the outside of the home, according to the fire chief.

“There were people home and they noticed the fire through the windows. They all got out when they saw the fire.”

With the majority of the Martensville fire crew being volunteers, having two fires to contend with was demanding.

“It was a challenge. We had, like I said, we called in mutual aid. The guys are tired, cold and wet. Trucks are barely getting back into commission, not even fully when second fire came in.”

Late Tuesday afternoon, Martensville RCMP determined that the fires may be suspicious in nature and are asking the public to come forward with any information that could assist investigators.