PUSLINCH – A shed fire in rural Puslinch last week has destroyed nearly all of a soccer club’s equipment, leaving them with a hefty bill to replace it all.
Early Wednesday morning around 5 a.m., Puslinch fire chief Jamie MacNeil said the department responded to what was reported as a grass fire but turned out to have been a fire at the Badenoch Soccer Field shed at Watson Road and Wellington Road 36.
MacNeil said by the time the department was notified and arrived at the scene, the shed had already completely burned to the ground. He also added the township had just put a new roof on it the prior day.
The shed was owned by the Township of Puslinch but Puslinch Minor Soccer Club (PMSC) used the shed to store its recreational league equipment.
PMSC president Bruce Joy said he learned about the fire later on Wednesday from the mayor.
He explained the shed had “all the soccer stuff that a team would need” for 14 teams in their recreational league as their competitive teams would keep their own gear.
“Soccer balls, netting for the goal area, soccer bags … practice jerseys, first aid kits, clipboards, general training gear, benches for the team,” Joy said, listing the equipment destroyed in the fire.
Joy said they’re assessing replacement costs and getting quotes from suppliers but didn’t feel comfortable giving an exact figure which he believed to be in the thousands of dollars.
Beyond the monetary damages, Joy is left feeling “devastated” this has happened.
“It’s just the loss of the items and the fact that we will have to spend money out of our bank account or pool that would have gone to other things,” Joy said. “It’s out in a remote location and it’s just a shame that happened.”
Joy said PMSC is in good shape financially and has funds available to replace some of the equipment.
The soccer club president noted the shed was not electrified which rules out that as a cause.
MacNeil said because the department arrived when the shed had already burned down, it would be impossible to make a call on the cause and origin of the fire.
“There was literally nothing left when we got there,” he said.
Fire crews didn’t notice anything suspicious at the scene, MacNeil added.
“For all we know it could have been someone driving down the road that threw a cigarette out and it got blown into the shed,” MacNeil said.
