BARRHEAD - Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS) responded to two wildfires on Sunday, April 14.
Firefighters responded to the first fire in Neerlandia on a property on Township Road 615 at about 2 p.m., while the second was about an hour and a half later on Township Road 563A near Range Road 13, near the Lac Ste. Anne.
Deputy fire chief Ted Amos said firefighters were able to extinguish the first fire relatively quickly. The fire started in a fire pit, catching the nearby grass on fire and damaging the siding of a nearby residence.
BRFS chief Gary Hove said the second fire was much larger, encompassing about 10 acres. He added that a farmer was working in his field with a tractor when the heat from the vehicle caught the vegetation on fire, saying a crew of about 15 firefighters were able to get the fire under control quickly.
Hove said he called for assistance from the Rich Valley Fire Department because there were concerns that the fire could potentially jump the road and spread into Lac Ste. Anne County. However, he stood Rich Valley down when he realized the extra support wouldn't be required.