Office of the Fire Commissioner expected to release Hilda fire report soon
By Tim Kalinowski on November 16, 2017.
tkalinowski@medicinehatnews.com @MHNTimKal The Office of the Fire Commissioner is confirming it has been investigating the cause of the Oct. 17 Hilda wildfires, and should be issuing its final report on the incident soon. “The Office of the Fire Commissioner continues to investigate and is gathering some final details for the report on the Hilda fire,” it said in a statement Wednesday in response to queries from the Medicine Hat News. Reeve Richard Oster of Cypress County also confirmed the investigation is ongoing and would speak on the matter when the final report came in from investigators. On Oct. 17, a grassfire driven by 100 km/h winds ignited and burned an area nearly 18 km by 20 km. Several farm houses, buildings and machines were lost in the wildfire as well as hundreds of head of livestock. One volunteer firefighter was killed while responding to the fire, and a local rancher remains in serious condition in hospital in Calgary. Experts have estimated it may take up to three to five years before burned land makes a complete recovery due to the loss of topsoil in the powerful wind, and the ferocious effect of the fire on local grasslands and wildlife. 7
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