Skip to content

Saving lives on grocery list for Castlegar responders on Wednesday

Crews attended local supermarkets three times during the day
18218326_web1_171003-CAN-M-fire-chief
Castlegar Fire Chief Sam Lattanzio (foreground) says it was a busy day for Castlegar emergency crews. File photo.

Emergency crews needing milk or bread had ample opportunity to pick some up on Wednesday.

Castlegar emergency responders were on the scene at local grocery stores three times during the day.

Two of the calls — one at Extra Foods, and another at Safeway — were for medical emergencies.

Then, at the end of the night, crews were called to the Safeway after workers noticed smoke coming from the garbage compactor.

“Initially it came in as a report of a structure fire,” said Castlegar’s fire chief Sam Lattanzio. “But what happened was the hydraulic loader and pump malfunctioned. It wasn’t actually on fire, but it was smouldering. There was potential there, though.”

Lattanzio says crews spent about two hours on the scene, and once it was safe and secure, turned it over to the Safeway’s managers to deal with repairs.

The last trip to the supermarket capped off a busy day for crews, that started during the morning commute.

A two-car accident in South Castlegar at about 7:30 a.m. snarled traffic on Columbia Avenue while emergency crews dealt with a person injured in the crash.

That person was taken to hospital with undisclosed injuries. There’s no word on the accident’s cause.