Foothills-area fire departments fought a wildfire on Saturday, putting in legwork on steep terrain to get it brought under control on what was a busy weekend for crews.
The fire started near Priddis, in Foothills County on April 27, after a campfire from the previous day re-kindled due to high winds, Diamond Valley Fire Rescue Chief TJ Moore said.
“The residents had done everything right in putting it out, but we did have some extremely high winds on that Saturday, and it unfortunately was able to rekindle that campfire,” Moore said.
Diamond Valley Fire Rescue and Foothills Fire responded, and a five-person firefighting crew was called in from Alberta Forestry and Parks to assist due to the difficult terrain.
“We requested the experts, which was Alberta Forestry, to come in and give us some assistance with getting ahead of the fire,” he said.
Moore said it was difficult to estimate the size of the fire due to the terrain but described it as medium-sized and said crews were on scene for about five hours.
“It was a difficult spot,” Moore said. “Firefighters met challenging conditions due to uneven steep terrain and an inability to access via vehicle.”
DVFR assists with road closure on April 28
The following day, Diamond Valley Fire Rescue assisted EMS with a road closure for a medical emergency.
Crews closed Highway 22 north of Diamond Valley, at about 8 p.m. on April 28, for STARS to land on the highway.
Moore said the emergency involved a child who was transferred from an ambulance to the helicopter and transported to Alberta Children’s Hospital, but no other information was available.
The highway closure lasted about 20 minutes, he said.
