Neighbour's quick thinking prevents serious fire at Regina condo

20-year-old Mac Findlay was taking a walk around the Quincy Greene condo complex when he saw flames out of the corner of his eye.

The neighbour's barbecue was on fire, and it was spreading.

"At first, it kind of looked like a bonfire, but then I looked closer and the wall was actually on fire and it had gone through the insulation," he said. "So I ran towards the driveway of the home and rang the doorbell a couple of times."

Findlay alerted the homeowner, who promptly called 9-1-1 and the two of them ran to the backyard.

"[The homeowner] was very smart and got the garden hose and told me to spray the wall," Findlay said. "It had gone halfway up the wall, so I sprayed for about four minutes straight [while] she called 911. And the firefighters came and responded very quickly and very efficiently and everybody was safe."

Earlier this week, Regina Fire and Protective Services (RFPS) recognized Findlay for his quick and effective actions.

Public education officer Angela Prawzick said if not for him, the situation could have become much worse.

"I'm very familiar with the condo complex, and my first reaction when I heard it was a barbecue fire was that I know the siding along these condo complexes is cedar siding, very dry cedar siding," she said.

"So my first reaction was 'uh, oh.' This is potentially a very serious fire in the making."

By the time RFPS arrived the fire was almost completely contained. While the first officers on scene confirmed the blaze was completely extinguished and dealt with some power issues, they were already sending the others back.

Prawzick says RFPS has a response time of approximately three and a half minutes to any incident in Regina — but when it comes to fires of this nature, every second counts toward saving property and lives.

"We have had some very unfortunate incidents in similar circumstances where, even with quick responding, a fire of that nature can spread very quickly along the siding of a complex like that," she said.

"I've seen situations here in Regina where, unfortunately, that type of fire has taken out three or four homes that are grouped together in a complex."

Prawzick described RFPS's recognition of Findlay's actions was "a really feel-good moment in the aftermath of what could have been a tragedy."

Findlay said he was surprised to learn how dangerous this fire might have become and he didn't realize how quickly it was spreading until he started talking to the firefighters on scene.

"It's very important that we have a little bit of education on how important it is to be fire-safe and know how to respond in basic ways," he said.

Findlay is now planning to learn more about fire safety preparedness, so he can be even more ready to respond if he ever finds himself in such a situation again.

But Prawzick says all Regina residents should be learning from Findlay's example.

"What this young man did was exactly right," she said. "He ran to the nearest phone, alerted the resident and called 911 as soon as possible."