BOYLE - Fire crews had to contend with gusting winds as they tried to put out a large grass fire on the north side of Boyle last week.
Members of the Boyle Fire Department were called to the fire just after 1 p.m. April 29 and were later joined by firefighters from Colinton. Crews remained on scene for most of the afternoon.
One engine, two tenders, three wild-land vehicles and two ATVs were brought in to join the 11 members from Boyle and six from Colinton. RCMP were also at the site.
“We got it under control pretty quickly,” said Boyle fire chief Darren Hill, but with the help of gusting winds from the west, the fire spread fast and scorched most of the field directly north of Highway 63.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but Hill noted the burn started near the railroad tracks that border the section of land to the west and spread to the east.
“I don’t know for sure, but the fire was coming from the tracks and heading northeast from the tracks,” said Hill, adding that an old corral and an old shed, both unused, were destroyed in the blaze.
It was the first large fire of the season for the Boyle department, said Hill, and firefighters performed well despite not being able to train for the expected grass fires over the last few weeks due to COVID-19 distancing protocols.
“We’ve been trying to get practices in, but haven’t been able to because of the COVID situation. It would have been nice to get in some practices with wild-land fires because there are some new people on the department, but we were ready for it,” said Hill.
It’s normal to have at least one large grass fire in a year, he added, but urged residents to follow the rules set out in the fire bans instituted by both the Village of Boyle and Athabasca County.
“Things are drying up quickly with the sun and the wind so that’s always a worry with these wild fires,” he said.
Chris Zwick, TownandCountryToday.com
