BARRHEAD - Firefighters from three municipal fire departments and from Alberta Wildfire helped battle a wildfire near the Clear Lake Natural Area in the County of Barrhead on May 2.
When the call came in at about 5 p.m., Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS) chief Gary Hove said 911 dispatchers sent the call to the Lac Ste. Anne fire department, but they quickly discovered that BRFS was closer.
However, given the fire conditions and the potential for it to spread and threaten nearby homes, Lac Ste. Anne County continued their response. Fort Assiniboine Fire Department also responded.
Lac Ste. Anne County chief Randy Schroeder noted that for some of his rookie firefighters, the May 2 fire was their first response.
"They think this is pretty cool and were pretty wide-eyed with firefighters from Alberta Wildfire and water bombers and helicopters," he said.
Hove added that when BRFS arrived, Alberta Wildfire was already on the scene working the fire with its heavy equipment, building a guard around the fire and hitting it from the air with as many as three water bombers and two helicopters.
About 40 minutes after receiving the call, the fire was declared contained.
Hove noted that Alberta Wildfire ensured they got the proper resources to the fire quickly. If they had not, Hove said, it could have been a different story.
And unfortunately, he added, like the vast majority of wildfires this season, this fire was totally avoidable.
He noted that the fire started in the ditch, most likely from a discarded cigarette.
Fire ban update
Due to the continued high fire risk, the Barrhead Regional Fire Services updated their fire ban to prohibit off-highway vehicle (OHV) use for recreational purposes on all public land in the County of Barrhead's jurisdiction on Wednesday, May 3.
The ban does not include the use of OHVs on private land or by individuals exercising a right under Section 12 of the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement or when travelling to a location to exercise such a right.
The OHV ban is in addition to all the other restrictions already in place, including prohibiting fireworks and exploding targets and bans all campfires or fires in approved outdoor fireplaces, pits and chimeneas. The fire ban order also suspends all burn permits, including burn barrels and incinerators.
