‘Shock and disbelief’ as Morse, Sask., RCMP detachment burns down

Residents of Morse, Sask., could only watch as their RCMP detachment went down in flames on Sunday night.

There were moments that was all the members of the Morse Fire Department could do as well.

“I think as a community we’re in shock and disbelief of what happened last night,” said Morse Mayor Rocky Penner. “It’s quite a huge loss for our community.”

One of the town’s fire hydrants failed during the blaze. The fire department had to call on local farmers and Hutterite communities for water.

“We knew that there were two [other] fire hydrants that needed repair,” Penner said, adding the town has contracted with a Swift Current business and is on a waitlist for repairs.

“On the fire hydrant that did fail, when we did our maintenance here this spring, they were operational,” he said.

Penner said that hydrant is now also on their radar.

The possibility of a hydrant failing during a future fire leaves some residents of the community of about 210 residents, about 170 kilometers west of Regina, uneasy.

“That would be a massive concern,” said Morse resident Lyle Patenaude. “Morse did upgrades on the well there, but I guess it must not be enough for fighting fires. I’m hoping that they will look into that more.”

The fire department said it first responded just after 6 p.m. CST on Sunday. Patenaude received a text from a friend and joined the crowd of onlookers later in the evening.

“[I] walk outside and the police station’s pretty well fully engulfed in flames,” he said. “Fire going off the roof there and a whole bunch of fire crews.”

Mayor Penner said he would like to see the RCMP rebuild in Morse. Patenaude has some concerns if they don’t. 

“I think it risks less rural enforcement, which will be sadly missing, of course,” Patenaude said.

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The RCMP said in a news release that there was no one working in the detachment at the time of the fire and no one was injured. 

“We’ve lost the detachment but this does not change our commitment to keeping the communities in the detachment area safe,” said Insp. Jill McLaren. “Saskatchewan RCMP does regular contingency planning, which helps us maintain police service during unexpected events, like this fire.”

While Penner said he is focused on resolving the hydrant issue, he pointed to the support of neighbours as a reminder of what can be accomplished when people come together in a time of need.

“It’s great to see that community show support,” Penner said. “It helps keep community spirit alive when people step up to the plate.”

Fire investigators with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency started their investigation into the cause on Monday. RCMP said they don’t believe the fire is suspicious.