WESTLOCK – Three major fires hit the Westlock area on Wednesday.
In Pickardville, the front portion of a home caught on fire April 29 near the kitchen area. Shortly after 3 a.m., the call came in and firefighters in Busby and Pickardville responded within 10 minutes, said Westlock County manager of protective services John Biro.
“The fire originated outside the home, there’s no suspicions or criminal concern. It’s still under investigation,” he said.
The fire was limited to the kitchen area and originated outside but spread through the attic. Although there’s fire damage to the home, Biro said it looked minimal.
A second fire spread through the wildland area east of Vimy that same afternoon.
Firefighters used some on-site equipment to aid with containment, but the fire burned about five acres of grass, said Biro.
“It definitely could’ve been a potential threat to structures nearby,” he added.
“As we say, every spring we recommend landowners to return back to their burn sites and inspect their sites to make sure they’re out. This is the third holdover fire that’s popped up from previous burning. As weather conditions dry out and dry materials out and the wind starts, they tend to pop back up, which causes quite a bit of damage and concern.”
That same day, around 5 p.m., a burn barrel that spread to the grass caused a serious structure fire near Clyde.
Firefighters from Clyde, Busby and Pickardville were on scene where some outbuildings, an RV, a boat, a vehicle, and some household items were engulfed in flames.
The entire operation lasted about eight hours, but the fire was under control and contained within the hour, before the fire spread to the nearby home.
“We were dealing with propane tanks and wet fields. It was very difficult to get to the fire. A lot of it was on foot and pulling hoses and using caution because we had live power until that was cleared. It was difficult and windy. … It was a dirty fire,” said Biro.
Although burn barrel fires were restricted at the time, Biro noted the investigation concluded the cause of spreading was accidental.
Westlock County is currently under a fire advisory. A list of restrictions is available via the county website. Those in the forest protection area, located in the northern part of the county, are under a full fire ban.
Andreea Resmerita, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @andreea_res
