With so many devastating fires at Linden...One fire station inadequate to serve a growing town

With so many devastating fires at Linden…One fire station inadequate to serve a growing town

Apr 16, 2018 News

– Regional Chairman

By Enid Joaquin

Linden has had its fair share of fires over the years, with most consuming everything in their wake, and in at least three cases reducing occupants to charred remains.
As recent as last week, there were three fires; two completely obliterating the homes of the families, leaving nine people homeless. Two of the fires occurred on the Mackenzie shore, with the most recent occurring a stone’s throw away from the fire station. The other occurred at Wismar. Of the two on Mackenzie one was contained.

Inadequate
Chairman of Region Ten Rennis Morian said that the lone fire station at Mackenzie is inadequate to serve a town that has grown exponentially over the past few years.
“We have Amelias Ward that continues to grow, and then there’s Burjag (new housing development at Wisroc) so one fire station is definitely inadequate….we need another fire station.”
Those sentiments have been reiterated by several residents who opined that a fire station needs to be established at Wismar.
Many expressed concern over the time that it takes for the fire trucks to cross from Mackenzie to Wismar. In most cases, the firefighters only arrive in time to contain the blaze from spreading to other buildings.
One of the most devastating fires ,that was witnessed by many Lindeners occurred in 2006,when Melanie Moore and her five children were burnt to death in their Amelia’s Ward Home.
It was a beautiful two storied house,replete with all the amenities to make life comfortable…maybe that was why it was so heavily grilled and thus rendered all efforts to rescue them futile. However two relatives who resided in the lower flat escaped the raging inferno.

One of the many Linden homes destroyed by fire

Mark Moore, Melanie’s husband, was overseas at the time.
Another devastating fire occurred at Yarraribo mines about four decades ago.
Like the fire in Amelias Ward, a mother died alongside her three children. In both cases the husbands were away from home.
In another case, two toddlers were burnt beyond recognition after a fire ravaged their home on Blue Berry Hill almost two decades ago. Their mother, June Sealey escaped with minor burns and abrasions. Their father was not at home.
Losing all of one’s material possessions in a fire is gut wrenching enough, but the loss of life in a place many of us deem most secure, if it were not so tragic, would be most ironic.

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