Flare-ups must be monitored by crews after wildfires are met with high winds

By Tim Kalinowski on October 27, 2017.

tkalinowski@medicinehatnews.com @MHNTimKal

Localized fires were a theme throughout the region as another large windstorm swept through the area on Wednesday.

It started at CFB Suffield at about 2:30 p.m. when reports began filtering in of a wildfire burning on the Suffield Block. CFB Suffield Fire Services responded to a fire located in the northwest corner of the base. According to a press release from the base’s communications officer, Natalie Finnemore, crews were still on site to deal with another flare-up at 4:20 p.m. Thursday.

“The fire is under control, and remains contained to the base,” the release read. “CFB Suffield firefighters continue to patrol the area and put out any flare-ups. The fire was not caused by military operations. A fire investigation is ongoing.”

It was the same up in Hilda country, reported Cypress County deputy fire chief John McBain. Several flare-ups occurred on both Wednesday and Thursday as a result of the strong winds.

“There is still some ash up there from the last one,” said McBain. “All that ash got blown into the ditch and covered with the dirt over top of it. Down underneath there is hot ash still burning, and as the wind blows it continues to flare up a little bit.”

Medicine Hat deputy fire chief Lance Purcell said crews were also keeping an eye on the scene of a grassfire across the river from the power plant that crowned the hills with flames Wednesday evening.

No cause for the fire has yet been established, said Purcell, but he reminded Hatters to be careful about their activities if those activities were likely to cause sparks or flames in these tinder dry areas.

“Most wildfires are man-made, whether it’s throwing a cigarette out the window or trucks driving across the grass,” he stated. “We are in times of high winds and dry fuel on the ground, and we just have to be careful.”

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