Snowplows were out in full force in Antigonish, N.S. on Wednesday - a day after two salt trucks and a snowplow were destroyed by fire at a Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal plow shed in the area.
The fire started around noon Tuesday. At one point, the flames threatened a nearby home, but the fire was under control within a few hours.
No one was injured but the nine-bay shed was destroyed.
RCMP have spoken to the fire marshal’s office about the cause. They have ruled the fire accidental.
“They were confident in saying that the fire was accidental or electrical in nature,” says Antigonish RCMP Sgt. Brian Rehill. “There’s nothing suspicious about this fire.”
The loss of salt trucks and snowplows prior to a major winter storm raised some safety concerns but transportation officials say other communities in the province stepped up and offered to help.
“We put a call out to the rest of the province and we did get a response,” says Paul Colton, a manager with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.
“Within an hour, we had salt trucks on the way to help with the impending storm that was coming.”
Three salt trucks and two snowplows arrived from other parts of the province Tuesday evening, ahead of Wednesday’s storm.
“Everything is going fine today. We have a full complement of equipment,” says Colton. “Motorists shouldn’t have seen any difference. Last night, when the storm started, we responded in our normal operations.”
Colton says the replacement equipment will remain in Antigonish until the end of the year.
It’s not yet known is new equipment will be purchased before next year.
