Grain elevator in Sask. village goes up in flames over weekend

The village of Loreburn, Sask., is feeling the loss of a landmark that was part of the community since the mid-1970s.

The local F.W. Cobs grain elevator, which was still in operation, went up in flames over the weekend.

Loreburn is about 100 kilometres south of Saskatoon. Mayor Lawrence Casey said the nearly-50-year-old elevator was a well-built facility that created year-round jobs for community members.

Casey said the village got the news of the fire shortly after 9 a.m. CST on Sunday.

"Passing motorists spotted it coming down the highway, spotted a small puff of smoke, and drove into town to see what it was and discovered some smoke coming out of the elevator."

The nearby communities of Elbow and Davidson sent their fire departments to help with the fire and a farmer brought out a water truck, but the structure was razed to the ground by the afternoon, Casey said.

"The building itself just went straight down, so there was no collapsing of anything. It was just an outright bonfire," Casey said.

The village posted on its Facebook page that no one was hurt in the fire.

The grain facility was owned by F.W. Cobs. The company stated it has been operating the elevator since 2008 and had four local employees.

"We are forever thankful for the responding fire departments and local community members for their prompt response and assistance during this extremely difficult time," the company said in a statement.

Clean-up efforts are ongoing in the community. The cause of the fire is still unknown, according to the village mayor.

"It's going to be missed," Casey said, noting the elevator had long been central to the village, located right at the end of its main street.

"It's quite a change to our skyline in town now."