The Community
Press Telling your story
Volume 112, Issue 8
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
$1 Including GST
Fire at Sedgewick School Area welcomes new doctor
GLENN POYSER PHOTO
A giant plume of black smoke rising from Central High Sedgewick Public School had many in the area calling emergency services. Local a responded in minutes, and extinguished the flames quickly, saving the building.
Dr. Rami Abu-zeidan has recently opened his first practice in Killam. See full story P6.
A busy August for Killam RCMP Leslie Cholowsky Editor with files from Cst. Travis Norton, Acting Cpl-Killam RCMP
FLAGSTAFF COUNTY PHOTO
Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Neighbours to Central High Sedgewick Public School noticed two- to three-foot flames coming from the roof of the school on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Soon, huge clouds of black smoke were pouring from the school high into the sky. Sedgewick Fire Chief Tyson Armitage was heading out his door already before receiving the official call. “My uncle was at a meeting at
the Rec Centre across the street and he’d called me to tell me about the fire,” he said. When Armitage got to the station, he paged the Killam and Hardisty Departments to join in. Sedgewick firefighters were on scene within minutes of receiving the call, around 7:28 p.m. with nine fire fighters on the truck, and another five joining the crew on scene. Killam Fire Chief Joe Knievel said Killam members could see the black smoke as soon as they headed out onto the highway towards
Sedgewick. “It looked very serious at that point.” He says by the time his department arrived and got set up, Sedgewick firefighters had the blaze 95 per cent under control. As Scene Commander, Armitage says, he quickly assessed the situation when he arrived on scene and once he determined that the fire was only on the roof at that time, he saw that the southwest corner of the building would be the safest point to get onto the roof. See FIRE P16
Killam RCMP Members handled 101 calls for service between Aug. 1 and 15. Members had four sudden death calls within this period, with three still open, waiting for autopsy results. Police are working with four open files with reports of break and enters occurring throughout the region. Some are oilfield related, with others from shops and sheds in rural areas. Police are investigating one complaint of assault, as well as a possible arson. RCMP had a report of a dangerous driving event occurring on Hwy 36 and Secondary 608, when a vehicle westbound on 608 reportedly turned directly onto 36 without slowing or checking traffic. The complainant was unable to provide a licence plate, and police were later unable to find the vehicle. RCMP responded to a complaint of a suspicious vehicle in Daysland. The driver of the vehicle fled from police, and they determined that the vehicle involved may have been stolen. The vehicle, which was stolen, was recovered near Daysland. No pursuit of the subject vehicle was undertaken for safety reasons. Police have had three complaints of identity fraud and have two active files open and under investigatSee RCMP P16