Courtesy RÉGIE INCENDIE MEMPHRÉMAGOG EST
Flames engulf the back of a border-straddling apartment building on Lee St. in Stanstead late on the night of May 28, shortly before fire crews from both Canada and the U.S. arrived on scene
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Two significant fires broke out this week in the Eastern Townships—one on the international border in Stanstead and another near Lake Lovering in Magog—drawing coordinated responses from multiple fire departments. No injuries were reported in Stanstead, while the presence of an ambulance was confirmed in Magog.
The more complex of the two occurred Wednesday night at a border-straddling apartment building on Lee Street in Stanstead. According to Dany Brus, a regional fire chief and spokesperson for the response, emergency services received the call at 10:03 p.m., at the same time as the Derby Line Fire Department across the border in Vermont.
“The building sits right on the line—part of it in Canada, part in the U.S.,” said Brus. “We were fighting the same fire.”
Crews from Stanstead, Derby Line, and Newport responded quickly. Upon arrival, they found the fire had already spread from the back porch into the first and second floors and the roof. “It was quite violent at first,” Brus said.
The effort was led by Stanstead Fire Chief Chris Goodsell, who managed the scene alongside U.S. counterparts. About 40 to 50 firefighters worked in tandem to contain the fire to the section of the building where it started. “The crews did an amazing job stopping and containing the fire so it didn’t spread to the other half,” said Brus.
The fire caused heavy damage to two units of the seven-apartment complex. Fortunately, all occupants—American residents—had been evacuated before firefighters arrived, thanks to quick-thinking neighbours who heard an explosion and raised the alarm. “Everybody was out when we showed up,” said Brus. “Thanks to good neighbours who heard the boom and got people out of bed.”
The origin of the fire is still under investigation. Residents reported hearing an explosion, possibly from a propane tank or barbecue on the back porch. “We think it might be a propane tank, but that’s just speculation at this point,” Brus noted.
Because the incident spanned the international border, both the RCMP and U.S. Border Patrol were present to secure the area and unlock a gate on Lee Street, allowing crews easier access.
On Friday morning, fire crews were again mobilized—this time to a blaze at a large home on Chemin Bordeleau near Lake Lovering in Magog. While the Magog Fire Department led the intervention, Stanstead Township provided mutual aid, focusing on water supply.
“It was a big house set back from the lake,” said Stanstead Township Fire Chief Brian Wharry. “We had four tankers shuttling water from about four or five kilometres away.” Trucks could not get close enough to the shoreline to draw water directly, so crews deployed portable ponds and used pumps to feed the trucks.
“We set up a portable pump in the lake and pumped directly into one of their trucks,” Wharry explained. “That gives you about 500 gallons a minute, but they needed more than that.”
Wharry could not confirm if anyone was hurt, although he knows an ambulance was dispatched to the location. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Magog Fire Department.
The Stanstead fire also marked the first deployment of Stanstead Township’s new rehabilitation and decontamination unit, designed to limit firefighter exposure to contaminants. “It went well,” said Wharry. “It was our first house fire using that truck.”
Though separate, the two incidents highlight the importance of collaboration among regional fire departments—and in Stanstead’s case, even international cooperation. Chief Goodsell later summarized the border incident on social media, according to Brus: “Two departments, two countries, two 911 services, two hydro companies—but one fire.”