BRFA crews work to put out wildland fire near HWY 55

Multiple Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority fire crews worked to extinguish a fast moving wildland fire on Monday and an investigation is ongoing to discover the cause.

Just before 10:00am on Monday morning, Station 2 Goodridge, Station 4 Iron River, and Station 6 La Corey responded to a wildland fire in the area of Highway 55 and Range Road 471, northwest of Bonnyville.

In a statement, Fire Chief Dan Heney said the fire was threatening a camp trailer and several quads.

“High winds from the southeast drove the fire quickly across a piece of farmland, but away from the campsite,” said Heney.

He said the fire was stopped at a side-branch of Manatokan Creek and brought under control fairly quickly, said Heney.

An extensive overhaul of the burned areas with the help of local farmers and Alberta Ag & Forestry was completed to ensure the fire was out.

“An investigation is still underway, but we believe the fire was caused by left over embers from a campfire on the weekend that were flared up by the wind,” said Heney.

Approximately one hectare of land was burned, with some damage to the trailer and a camp outbuilding.