Fire at Unity Agro-Plex causes damage to building

Fire crews were busy battling both a blaze and Mother Nature on Sunday night after the Agro-Plex in Unity, Sask. caught fire.

According to Unity Fire & Rescue, the blaze was reported to 911 at 6:49 p.m.

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Because of the large scale of the blaze, the fire department responded with six units and 14 firefighters. When crews arrived, the eastern end of the agro-plex was found to be in flames.

According to fire chief Colby Klein, the quick response from firefighters was a big part of the reason why the fire didn’t spread any further.

“When we arrived, we found that the east end of the structure was involved, but we were able to make a quick attack and keep it from spreading to the rest of the building,” said Klein in a statement to 650 CKOM.

“The biggest struggle we fought was the extreme cold temperatures at that time.”

The temperatures in Unity on Sunday night were in the -30 C range, and the windchill had it feeling well below the -40 C mark.

An extreme cold warning was issued over the weekend for a majority of Saskatchewan, and remained in place on Monday morning. Overnight in places like Saskatoon, the windchill dipped into the -50 C range.

The cause for the fire is not yet known, the fire department added, and an investigation has begun.

Unity, located about 200 kilometres west of Saskatoon, has a population of nearly 2,500 people.

The agro-plex was constructed back in 1991, and is one of the largest halls in the community. The building is a venue for Western Days events, and is used around the year for weddings, anniversaries, auction sales and other large-scale events.

The fire department in the town is a volunteer-based operation which provides services to the town and other rural communities within the area.