BARRHEAD - A previously thought-to-be extinguished brush fire was the cause of a large grass fire about 10 minutes southwest of Barrhead.
Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS) responded to the report of a wildfire in a ditch off of Range Road 41 just after noon on April 21.
BRFS chief Gary Hove said the crew of close to 30 firefighters did a good job getting the fire under control and protecting nearby structures.
Twenty-one BRFS firefighters were aided by seven or eight members of the Fort Assiniboine Fire Department.
"It is really unfortunate," he said. "They were working on an old brush pile that they had not burned in a long time, but the heat is still there," he said.
"The embers blew across to the ditch, but with the winds coming from the southeast and the dry grass, it was poof and it was gone," he said.
The fire endangered two homes, one to the north and one to the south on a hill.
"It kept jumping to the grass on the other side of the driveway, but we were able to keep putting it out," Hove said.
To the northeast of the property, the fire got into the bush, slowing the fire down. At about 3 p.m., fire crews got control of the fire and spent the rest of a very long day mopping up and putting out hotspots. The last firefighters left the scene at about midnight.
In addition to receiving help from the Fort Assiniboine Fire Department, fire crews were joined by several people from nearby farms along with extra equipment.
Hove noted the tractors and discs were especially helpful as they helped lessen the amount to fuel for the fire.
"The RCMP were also a great help. They did traffic control for us and started to turn people back," he said, adding the fire started to attract several spectators, "which is a safety concern because we were operating on the road."
On April 16, as a result of the dry conditions, the BRFS issued a fire restriction order.
The order prohibits all campfires and other open fires or charcoal briquettes in the backcountry or random camping areas. It also suspends all new fire permits issued for large burning, brush piles and windrows.
Not included in the fire restrictioin are "safe fires" contained in cooking and heating appliances and which are fuelled by fluids or gases such as barbecues.
Approved burn barrels, incinerators or backyard, campground fire pits and people with existing fire pits are also permitted.
Although the area received some precipitation in the form of a small skiff of snow on April 21, Hove suspects the fire ban/restriction order will remain in effect for a while longer, as the weather forecast predicts no measurable precipitation in the immediate future.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
