BARRHEAD - Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS) firefighters responded to a grass fire on Highway 764 near the Meadowview Community Centre at about 6 p.m.
BRFS chief Gary Hove said a spark from a malfunctioning utility trailer, on which a brake locked up, caused the fire.
Hove added although it rained on the weekend, any precipitation was nominal and did nothing to change the fire danger, which is extreme.
"If anyone thought it did, they are crazy. All it might have done is green things up a bit," he said.
However, he added it did not stop a number of people from calling the fire hall to ask if he was planning to cancel the fire ban.
If anything, Hove said, he was considering instituting a total ban.
"In Lac Ste. Anne and Parkland [counties], they've put a stop to everything," he said.
On April 30, Hove upgraded the previous fire restriction control order he instituted the week before to a ban, prohibiting fireworks and explosives and all fires except for campfires in approved fire pits and propane, gas, or wood pellet barbecues and appliances are still permitted.
Hove also said they were fortunate that the incident happened where it did, noting just behind the treeline, a ditch filled with water helped slow the fire's progress.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
