Firefighters from across the region raced to a wind-fuelled grass fire west of Okotoks on Dec. 5.
Multiple 9-1-1 calls began coming in around 3 p.m. to report a large fire just south of Highway 549 near 128 Street West in Foothills County.
Fire crews found “quite a large fire” when they arrived, Diamond Valley Fire and Rescue Chief TJ Moore said.
"The size is still not known, but it was quite a large fire that was rapidly moving towards a residential structure,” Moore said.
Highway 549, as well as a home and outbuildings on the east side of 128 Street, were threatened as the fire moved northeast, he said.
“Thanks to the excellent and quick work of the firefighters, no structures were damaged,” Moore said.
High winds were swirling and changing directions, leading to dangerous conditions and a rapidly growing fire, he said.
"There was certainly a close call, and if it wasn't for the timely calling in of the fire and the timely response, it certainly could have been a different outcome,” Moore said. "(The fire) proved difficult to get ahead of until we had our multiple crews arrived on scene.”
In all, about 12 trucks and 25 firefighters responded from Diamond Valley, Foothills County, Okotoks and High River departments.
Crews worked for about an hour to bring the fire under control and another three hours to fully extinguish it.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it has been determined that it was not intentionally set, he said.
Foothills County issued a fire advisory shortly after the fire started. Class 1 and Class 2 fire burn permits will continue to be issued, but the County said that further restrictions can come at any time.
“We’re seeing high winds and super dry conditions, which is the worst recipe for creating fire conditions,” Moore said.
Even though it’s December, there is not enough moisture to mitigate fire risk, he said.
Earlier in the day, a large grass fire erupted in Rockyview County, forcing the evacuation of several homes northwest of Airdrie near Symons Valley Road.
The blaze reached about 350 acres in size and was also fuelled by strong winds. A downed powerline is the suspected cause of that fire.
-with files from Tim Kalinowski and Riley Stovka/Rocky View Weekly
