It was a busy weekend for Lakeland-area fire crews as they battled multiple fires across the area.
In the MD of Bonnyville, the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) couldn’t count on one hand the number of calls they responded to.
“We had a fair number of fires through the weekend, both wildland and structural fires, plus we also had a diesel spill. Saturday was a very busy day,” said BRFA fire chief Brian McEvoy. “We had fire crews out across the entire MD of Bonnyville.”
Working with the Alberta Forestry Service, the BRFA tackled a blaze by Goodridge, and a fire north of Ardmore near the traffic circle, which was still burning Monday morning.
“We’re in patrol status on most of them. We’re still working in conjunction with the Alberta Forestry Service on the fire north of the traffic circle, that’s expected to be out later today (Monday) and down to patrol status,” explained McEvoy.
Cold Lake Fire-Rescue also assisted with the fire north of Ardmore, responding to the request for service at around 3:45 p.m.
Cheif Jeff Fallow said fire was about 92-hectres, and kept local crews busy.
According to McEvoy, residents within the MD of Bonnyville were not evacuated as a result of the fires, however some residents did choose to leave on their own.
“We didn’t request any evacuations. We did predeploy some structural protection units, just in case we weren’t able to contain the fire,” he described.
A structure fire at the Sportsman Trailer Park was a direct result of a burning barrel, which are restricted in the Town of Bonnyville.
“That’s something we’re going to have to take action on,” noted McEvoy.
Two houses on the Kehewin Cree Nation were also lost over the weekend due to a fire.
The BRFA assisted the Kehewin fire crew with extinguishing the blaze, but aren’t directly involved in the investigation.
A state of emergency was declared on the Elizabeth Métis Settlement (EMS) as a result of a massive fire.
On Saturday, Cold Lake Fire-Rescue responded to a call for assistance from the Elizabeth Métis Settlement Fire Department.
“They called for assistance, and we went out at about 1 p.m. and we were back in by 8:30 p.m. or 9 p.m. We had two stations and about half of our crew out at the settlement fire,” explained Fallow. “Our provincial report came out this morning (Monday) and it was 500 or 600-hectres.”
Evacuation orders were issued to some residents, while others were on standby.
“We evacuated approximately eight residences that were potentially in the path of the wildfire, and we did so out of precaution,” Cold Lake RCMP S/Sgt. Jeremie Landry said, adding as of yesterday (Sunday) the evacuation order was still in place.
The settlement administration office acted as a command centre, and the community hall was open to any displaced families.
As to the cause of the fires within the MD, McEvoy said the BRFA has a few suspicions at this point. They believe a few were started by build up around the engine and exhaust system of ATVs.
“We had one that was started by farm machinery and one that was suspected to be started by farm machinery,” he added.
This is one of the reasons why they’re cautioning OHV enthusiastis to be extremely careful this time of year.
McEvoy said, “We just ask people, if they’re going to be using their ATVs in the forested areas, to be very aware that because everything is so dry, the build up of fine combustible particles around your engine and exhaust systems can heat and drop embers. We just ask people to be very careful and make sure they’re not getting that kind of build up in those areas on their ATVs.”
A fire advisory was issued within the MD of Bonnyville on May 7, and restricted any non-essential burning.
Between the advisory and the fact that the BRFA is no longer issuing fire permits, they’re essentially accomplishing the same as a fire ban would, McEvoy detailed.
“This time of year is commonly referred to as spring fire season, and until things green up and we start getting some moisture, it’s extremely dangerous in the forested areas. We just ask people who are going to be using those areas to be as cautious as possible,” he added.
