Provincial fire officials are investigating whether a large wildfire that threatened homes and a natural gas facility just inside the MD of Foothills last week was due to human activities.
Wildfire information officer Richard Horne said officials have ruled out the most likely natural cause of the April 17 blaze.
“There wasn’t any report of lightning in the area, which is the main cause of fires at this time of year,” he said.
He declined to comment on reports on the internet and in other media the fire was caused by people target shooting in the area.
The initial call came in to the MD of Foothills fire department at around 1:30 p.m. about grass fire near Secondary Highway 549, just inside the Kananaskis Improvement District boundary. It quickly spread into the MD to the northeast through the Quirk Creek area between Secondary Highway 549 and 2311 Drive West.
Horne said the fire covered as much as 35 hectares of land.
Firefighters from the MD of Foothills, Black Diamond and Turner Valley departments, as well as Alberta Sustainable Resources were all working to battle the blaze. At one point, more than 30 firefighters were on the ground fighting the fire with 17 fire apparatus and two helicopters dropping water from the air.
Six homes were evacuated and firefighters were stationed outside the Quirk Creek Gas Plant as a precaution, after the blaze broke out. Fortunately, the gas plant and none of the houses were affected and residents were able to return home that evening.
Fire crews started to get the upper hand in the evening, and, at around 8:15 p.m. they were able to get the blaze under control. Horne said snow fall in the area on Saturday morning helped but there were still some hot spots as of Tuesday morning.
MD Deputy fire chief Gregg Schaalje said they are still investigating what sparked the fires and he had not heard anything from provincial officials as of Tuesday morning that the fire was human caused.
Schaalje said the fire’s spread was aided by dry conditions, high winds and the topography in the area.
“It burns a lot faster up hills, and it starts to create its own winds,” he said.
Crews were also concerned the fire would spread quickly through more heavily wooded areas.
Residents who were evacuated were allowed to return home later that evening. None of the homes were damaged, although the blaze did get close to two residences. Schaalje said the firefighters were able to prevent the fire from reaching the homes.
“It was extremely close, actually,” he said.
The fire was also located just west of the Quirk Creek Gas Plant. At one point Schaalje said there was concern the gas plant and two other gas sites could be affected when winds shifted, but the sites were ultimately unscathed.
While crews battled the wildfire on the MD’s west end, a second grassfire was raging near the Okotoks overpass.
The fire began before 4 p.m. east of the overpass and firefighters from Okotoks, Blackie, High River, Heritage Pointe and Cayley responded. As of 7:30 p.m., the fire had been contained and crews were still tending to hot spots in the area. The fire covered almost three-quarters of a section of land on the east side of Highway 2.
Okotoks Fire Chief Ken Thevenot said on April 17 the fire was sparked accidentally. A fire ban remains in place in the MD.
Schaalje urged people to be cautious, as warm, dry conditions have created a significant fire hazard.
If the April 17 fire was determined to be human caused, whoever is responsible could face a fine of up to $5,000 and they could be made to cover the cost to respond to the blaze.
