After responding to several recent fires, County Regional Fire Service is reminding people about the importance of calling 911.

“It’s critical for people to call 911 at the first sign of smoke or fire,” said County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service Deputy Jason Nesbitt. “In an emergency situation, every second counts to reduce the risk of property loss, injury or even death.”

At about 8:24 p.m. on Tuesday evening, crews from the Clairmont and Dunes fire stations along with the Sexsmith and Wembley fire departments responded to a report of smoke in the building. Crews discovered smoke in the church sanctuary. The source was identified as a small fire in a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit on the building’s roof. The fire was quickly contained, and no one was injured.

Wednesday morning at 11:15 a.m., crews responded to a structure fire near Range Road 53 and Township Road 722. Upon arrival, crews found a detached commercial shop on fire, with flames and smoke billowing from a front window. The responding crews from the Clairmont, Dunes and Bezanson fire stations as well as the Sexsmith and Wembley fire departments extinguished the fire and contained the damage to a single building.

No one was injured as a result of the fire. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.