Skip to content

Firefighters respond to multiple grass fires in Blackfalds

Fires were extinguished by 3:30 p.m.
32549772_web1_230426-RDA-Blackfalds-grass-fires3
It’s believed a train sparked a number of grass fires in central Alberta on Wednesday. (Photo by Janine Sumlak)

Central Alberta firefighters were busy extinguishing multiple fires on Wednesday afternoon.

The Blackfalds Fire Department was called to three major grass fires around noon, explained Justin de Bresser, the town’s interim chief administrative officer.

“We suspected a train went through around noon and sparked quite a few grass fires along the way,” he said.

“There was one just south of the RCMP building in the south end of town. There was another one just further north over South Street in Rolling Hills. Then there was another one up near ME Global in the north.”

The town announced in a tweet at 3:30 p.m. that all fires had been extinguished, with crews continuing to work on any remaining hot spots.

No injuries or structural damages were reported in Blackfalds.

“It was a crazy afternoon and could’ve been a lot worse than it actually was,” de Bresser said.

In a tweet, the Town of Blackfalds thanked everyone “who worked tirelessly” to prevent the fires from spreading.

Some central Alberta communities have issued fire advisories due to recent warm and windy conditions combined with a subsequent lack of moisture. There are currently advisories in Ponoka, Ponoka County, Rimbey, Clearwater County and Trochu.

The Lacombe Fire Department noted in a Facebook post that Environment Canada issued an overnight wind warning on Wednesday.

“With the extremely dry conditions, we would like to remind residents of the area to exercise caution while outside,” the Facebook post said.

“Ensure that you are using your backyard fire pit safely, and please do not discard any smoking materials outside in the open.”

Lacombe Fire Department and Lacombe County Fire Department crews have responded to several calls for grass fires in the past several days, the post stated.

For more information on fire advisories, visit www.albertafirebans.ca.

32549772_web1_thumbnail_IMG_1815
Crews responded to ‘multiple fires’ in the Town of Blackfalds on Wednesday. (Photo by Sean McIntosh/Advocate staff)


Sean McIntosh

About the Author: Sean McIntosh

Sean joined the Red Deer Advocate team in the summer of 2017. Originally from Ontario, he worked in a small town of 2,000 in Saskatchewan for seven months before coming to Central Alberta.
Read more