DAVIDSON—Firefighters from Davidson and Craik volunteer departments responded to a house fire Sunday, March 29 in the R. M. of Willner.

Davidson fire chief Clayton Schilling said a 911 call came in at 11:58 a.m. Sunday that the house of Jerry and Shelley Woodman, about one mile off the 749 Girvin Grid southwest of Davidson, was on fire.

Shelley noticed smoke coming from the roof of the one-storey house when she returned home from church and called it in, Jerry said.

No one was inside the house. Jerry said Shelley had gone to church and he and his son were away from home picking up some tools. He quickly returned home when he learned of the fire.

Craik and Davidson firefighters arrived soon after.

“They weren’t very far behind us,” Jerry said.

Schilling said when firefighters arrived Shelley and her son were spraying water onto the fire through a basement window.

He said three firefighters quickly suited up and fought the fire from the inside. The fire was contained to the northeast half of the basement.

Schilling said the fire was easy to put out with firefighters from Davidson and Craik putting water on it.

From the outside, Schilling said a person wouldn’t know the house had been on fire, however, smoke damage to the entire house and its contents was extensive.

Schilling said smoke was pouring out of the roof vents when they arrived on scene.

Jerry said they are currently living in a camper trailer in the farmyard for the time being.

An insurance adjuster has been on site and Jerry said a crew was out last Tuesday to start cleaning out the contents.

The fire was determined to have been caused by an unattended candle that was left burning in a basement bedroom.

Fire crews were on scene for about three hours with seven firefighters from Davidson and 12 from Craik’s responding. The Craik volunteer department happened to be conducting First Aid training that day, so all its firefighters were in Craik and able to respond.

DAVIDSON—The town’s former compost depot could be the home of Davidson’s new trout pond.
At its meeting March 17, town council gave Arm River Wildlife Federation (ARWF) the OK to study the land near the Gymkhana riding arena to see if it is suitable for a fishing pond.
The wildlife federation will now consult with environment officials to see if water that will drain into the potential pond will support fish. The concern is that due to the location’s proximity to Highway 11, salt and other de-icing chemicals could contaminate the water and kill fish stocks.
This seems to be the only obstacle standing in the way of Arm River Wildlife Federation’s objective of building a trout pond in Davidson.
In February, the group approached Davidson town council with the idea of building a trout pond for recreational use. The wildlife federation will dig and organize the creation of the pond if the town had a parcel of municipal reserve land for the purpose.
The pond would be about one acre in size with a minimum depth of 20 feet. ARWF will also stock the pond and set limits.
Town administrator Gary Edom said he contacted SGI and was informed that the town’s current liability insurance policy would cover the trout pond and that additional insurance is unnecessary.
“These guys (ARWF) are pretty excited,” Edom said.
Councillors said feedback they’ve received from the public, for the most part, has been positive to the idea about providing people with the opportunity to spend time outdoors, bonding and experiencing the thrill of catching a fish.
“What I like about it is, I take so many kids fishing who never get to go…It’s such a huge thing for development,” Mayor Clayton Schneider said.
Coun. Mandy Tichit said people expressed concerns to her over safety and the possibility that children could drown.
If the trout pond proceeds, Schneider said council has to try and address these issues by doing its due diligence to minimize risks.
“These are our kids. They are precious,” he said.
“I’ve had people say, ‘Whatever you do, don’t put it across the highway,’” Coun. Gerald Kenny said.