A grassfire set off by a malfunctioning hay baler burned through up to 70 hectares of farmland after first setting alight a row of trees near Flat Lake on last Monday.
The Boyle Fire Department attended to the blaze that started at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, and was assisted by the Athabasca, Collinton and Grassland departments in dousing the blaze that engulfed a field approximately 11 km west of Boyle.
Nobody was injured in the fire despite its rapid spread, although the Athabasca Fire Department had an ambulance unit on standby just in case.
“We had four pumper trucks, four wildland trucks, five tankers, three quads and two bulldozers,” said Boyle fire chief Matt Purton.
After the baler set the trees on fire, Purton said a strong west wind blew flames across the field and the dry weather conditions allowed grass and hay bales to burn.
Dozers were used to knock down the trees and create a firebreak, and after firefighters extinguished the blaze, a team from the Alberta Sustainable Resources took over the cleanup by putting out embers and clearing up debris.
“This was a great show of teamwork across the county,” said Purton.
