M’CHIGEENG FIRST NATION—A house fire in M’Chigeeng First Nation, which left a family living there displaced, could have been worse if not for action taken by a group of bystanders, says the fire chief of the M’Chigeeng Volunteer Fire Department.
“A bunch of bystanders at a Rainbow Ringers horseshoe tournament close by reacted after seeing and smelling smoke and went from their location to the house where the fire was taking place,” stated Fire Chief Forrest Schut. “They ran over to the house and used a garden hose that they found outside (the home) and used it to put water on the fire.”
“The group of bystanders put the majority of the fire out,” stated Mr. Schut. “When I got there, there was very little in the form of flames. They saved the house.”
The M’Chigeeng Fire Department received a call of the fire at 7:21 pm on the evening of Saturday, August 30 of a structure fire, said Fire Chief Schut. “No one was in the house at the time of the fire, which took place at the home of Lynn Migwans on 260 Highway 551 in M’Chigeeng. Members of the family were at the (M’Chigeeng) powwow at the time.”
Fire Chief Schut said he suspects the blaze was an electrical fire. “An iPhone was plugged in and being charged on a couch, and this looks as if it was likely the cause.”
Firefighters were on the scene of the blaze for about an hour-and-a-half, said Fire Chief Schut. “We checked the entire interior of the home, including making sure the fire had not got up into the attic,” he said noting the fire spread through the interior of the home. There was water damage in the basement and paint on the walls in the home was flashed over by the flames.
“If not for the group of bystanders, we would not have been able to save the structure,” he said. Fire Chief Schut noted that Ms. Migwans, who lived in the home along with two foster children (who all lost everything in the fire) were displaced in the fire but went to her sister and mother’s home close by.
The home was a CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) rent-to-own structure owned by the M’Chigeeng First Nation. Fire Chief Schut said that in talking to the M’Chigeeng manager of capital works, the home is covered by CMHC insurance.
“The damage was extensive with smoke damage throughout the entire upstairs, three bathrooms, living room etc.,” said Fire Chief Schut who said the structure will probably have to be gutted and replaced. “The flames did not get into the ceilings and walls. The bystanders saved the home through their fast response.”
