“Just a little bit of extra vigilance from the public would see a huge reduction in structural fires across the city.”
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Regina Fire and Protective Services says its too soon to say if a recent string of residential fires should cause alarm about a rise in blazes in the city this year.
“We have seen a slight increase in fires this year, but not as substantial as some people might think,” said Deputy Chief Gord Hewitt in a recent interview.
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Where it may seem otherwise is on Regina Fire’s social media pages, which note anytime firefighters respond to a call. In the last four weeks, fire crews have been on scene at more than a dozen house fires in various neighbourhoods.
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Data also shows a year-over-year increase in structural fires in the first four months of 2024, though Hewitt says it presents a mere snapshot of time that can change quickly.
From January to April this year, Regina Fire responded to 146 structure fires, an increase of 13 incidents from the same period last year. It’s also more than the 122 fires in 2022 and 135 fires in 2021, in those four months.
“The vast majority of fires that we respond to are accidental, meaning they may have been caused by human but not intentionally,” Hewitt said.
The “unpredictable” nature of these types of fire starts mean reports can cluster together, but its not due to any one factor or indicative of a general year-long trend.
“It gives that perception that there’s this massive increase when really, you’re looking at the year-over-year data,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt couldn’t say how many fires this year started in vacant houses, but the risk was one highlighted by Mayor Sandra Masters and Coun. Andrew Stevens (Ward 3) in a recent motion to revitalize North Central.
A slate of changes to enhance bylaw enforcement around unsecured buildings in 2022 also sought to address the issue, supported by the Regina Police Service which looked to alleviate pressure on emergency services.
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In 2023, the city catalogued 105 “nuisance properties” in primarily the North Central and Heritage neighbourhoods, compared to 129 boarded-up houses in 2021.
In her recent motion, Masters noted that in September 2022 there were 177 boarded-up properties in North Central, according to city reports.
“The City has recently increased its enforcement activities focusing on boarded and nuisance properties in core areas” including demotion orders, said an emailed statement from the city earlier this month.
One of those tools is the Housing Standards Enforcement Team, a special team under bylaw enforcement tasked with identifying housing standards issues in inner city neighbourhoods.
Vacant or unoccupied structures have been identified as at increased risk of fire, either due to electrical shorts or compromised gas lines, squatting or as targets of arson.
Arson rates were on the rise between 2019 and 2021, with 225 confirmed cases in 2021 compared to 142 in 2019. Hewitt said that trend has levelled off some, with a “pretty consistent number of building arsons in the four years since 2021.”
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Of the structural fires so far in 2024, 17 incidents have been determined to have been started intentionally.
“We do still have several fires that are still under investigation,” Hewitt added.
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The Top 3 accidental causes of structural fires are unattended cooking, improper disposal of cigarettes or smoking materials and overloaded power bars, said Hewitt.
“A lot of these fires are totally preventable, and there’s some good information out there on how you can do that,” he said.
Prime among his advice is taking care in where one tosses their cigarette butts, as they can smolder for a long time in the right conditions. With barbecue season approaching, Hewitt also urged residents to be aware of how close one cooks to buildings.
As for ways to deter fire starters, Hewitt said the most a property owner can do is keep their yard well-lit and tidy.
“Don’t have anything around your house that can be potentially used to start fires and really just be vigilant,” he said.
“Just a little bit of extra vigilance from the public would see a huge reduction in structural fires across the city.”
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