Sunday was an exceptionally busy day for the Regional Fire Service with multiple serious simultaneous calls for service.
At 12:02 p.m. The Dunes Station was dispatched to a carbon monoxide alarm in the Eastland Acres subdivision. When they discovered high carbon monoxide levels, the residence was evacuated, and the cause was found to be the furnace. The home was ventilated to remove all carbon monoxide and turned back to the homeowners. No one was injured.
At 2:56 p.m. The Dunes Station was dispatched to a quickly spreading grass fire near the pine beetle pit on resources road. The fire was caused by an illegal fire pit.
At 3:30 p.m. units from stations in Sexsmith, Teepee Creek, and Clairmont were dispatched to a grass fire which was threatening structures in the Bad Heart district near Range Road 23 and Township Road 754. The fire spread to approximately 4 hectares and involved a granary. The fire was contained and fully extinguished a few hours later. It was caused by a burn barrel.
Grass fire on Township 754 (Courtesy County of Grande Prairie)At 4:30 p.m. units from stations in the Dunes, Wembley, Sexsmith and La Glace were dispatched to a wildland fire north of Township 750 and Range Road 51. A large grass fire had spread into the trees. Crews quickly contained the fire and then worked to complete extinguishment. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry was also called into this event as it is in the Forest Protection area. This fire is believed to have been caused by person(s) shooting at an exploding target such as Tannerite.
At 4:47 p.m. units from stations in Bezanson, Teepee Creek, Sexsmith and Clairmont were dispatched to Range Road 31 and Township Road 734 for a grass fire threatening a shop. On arrival crews found a 1-hectare grass fire and a fully involved shop fire. The grass fire was quickly contained, and the shop fire was extinguished. The shop was a total loss. This fire was the result of embers from a fire pit escaping containment and causing the grass fire.
Grass and shop fire on Township 734 (Courtesy County of Grande Prairie)At 5:50 p.m. units from La Glace were dispatched to a single vehicle roll over on Range Road 83 down an embankment into Mulligan Creek. The vehicle started on fire causing a brush fire. La Glace members were still at the fire station and quickly responded to the call, limiting the spread of the brush fire. Two occupants were on scene and refused medical care.
At 6:34 p.m. units from the Dunes and Wembley Stations were dispatched to assist Grovedale and Grande Prairie Technical Search and Rescue with a boat collision and multiple patients on the Wapiti River near the train trestle. The boat collided with the trestle bridge causing serious injuries to five people. Rescue boats from Grovedale and Wembley Fire as well as Grande Prairie Technical Search and Rescue, a private helicopter and two Stars helicopters made multiple trips to rescue, assess, treat, and remove the patients to higher levels of care.
Unattended burning was a large contributing factor to Sunday’s events, which taxed the local emergency response system. All calls were responded to promptly, but several units were re-routed from one emergency to another. All controlled burning needs to meet the County of Grande Prairies guidelines which can be found on the County of Grande Prairie website HERE.
“All fire pits and burn barrels must be attended to at all times. Further to this, they must be on a noncombustible surface and have a further ring of gravel, bricks, or mineral soil to prevent embers from starting grass fires”, says Deputy Fire Chief Jason Nesbitt.
“Even though we have had rain and snow lately, the fine fuels such as cured grass can dry out in a matter of hours, leading to an increased fire hazard. With dry grass likely to be here for another two weeks until green up, all residents are advised to use extreme caution when burning. If a grass fire does start, please call 911 immediately”.
Information provided by the County of Grande Prairie.
Fri, May 3, 6:30 PM
Full-time, Agriculture, Labour