Arson suspected in fire at old seed cleaning plant

By Janet Kanters Times Editor

A fire at the old seed cleaning plant on Centennial Drive in Strathmore last week was deliberately set, according to the Strathmore Fire Department which was first on the scene.
The fire department received the fire call at about 4 p.m. on Sept. 25.
According to Eric Alexander, Strathmore Fire Department captain, the department responded with three fire trucks and 14 members. They were assisted by two fire apparatus and six members from Wheatland West Fire Department.
“According to dispatch records, it took us seven minutes from the initial alert to get on scene, and the fire was extinguished about an hour after we were on scene; it was completely extinguished,” said Alexander.
According to Strathmore Fire Department Chief Trent West, the fire was deliberately set.
“We’re working in conjunction with the RCMP on this file,” he said. “And as we gather more information or things are made available to us, then we interview whoever was involved.”
West couldn’t say how the fire was started. The joint investigation between the RCMP and the fire department is ongoing.
The plant, located on Centennial Dr., was empty at the time of the fire. It previously served as the Strathmore Seed Cleaning Plant for 40 years until 2015 when a new seed cleaning plant was built and opened on Highway 21 just north of Highway 1. The old plant is still owned by Strathmore Seed Cleaning Plant Ltd. and they were using the site until late in 2017 when it was decommissioned.
What happens next with the plant “depends on the insurance company and the engineers that they engaged to take a look at the structure for its viability, or what they need to do to make it safe if it’s not,” said West. “That’s between the insurance company and the engineers, and our (town) planning and development department.”