Several fire stations and local farmers battled a large fire in a farmer's field northeast of Vulcan on Monday afternoon.
It started at around 2 p.m. and quickly grew, with neighbouring farmers soon noticing the thick plumes of smoke.
Brett Schierman, whose family owns a farm about a mile south of where the fire broke out, recalls the alarming rate at which it spread.
"We just kind of noticed it in the rearview mirror. We had just been looking in that direction moments before, so when we looked back and saw the fire it was pretty surprising. It grew fast, there were high winds out of the west that day, and they were pushing the fire east at a high rate of speed."
No sooner had the fire broken out than neighbouring farmers were responding.
"There was a local oilfield service company that was working right close to the road. I think they noticed the fire first and called it in, and they were diligent and notified a local neighbour. It's not hard to notice when it's so close to you, it's just kind of what neighbouring farmers do, we all just chip in and do what we can to help out and make sure we get a handle on it sooner than later," says Schierman.
He, along with his brother Braedan and father Terry, were among those who sprang into action.
"We provided a tractor with a double disk as well as a water truck to haul water to the fire. My brother was operating the water truck, and I was just on the ground helping to coordinate efforts and people," says Schierman.
Personnel from all six Vulcan County fire stations were soon at the scene and had some air support, with a water bomber and forestry helicopters aiding in the effort.
Schierman estimates that the fire tore through at least 300 acres of cropland before it was extinguished.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
Schierman says the risk of fires is ever-present due to the combination of dry-standing crops and heavy, complex machinery.
"It's something that's always in the back of your mind, you can never really be prepared enough. There are lots of moving parts on these machines today and if a header strikes the ground or a rock, all it takes is a small spark. Harvesting conditions in general are fairly volatile."
Vulcan County posted a reminder about how quickly fires can start and spread in farm fields on their Facebook page in late July, which included a recommendation that farmers have disks and water trucks close by for such an occasion.
The County shared a post on Thursday to thank everyone who contributed to containing and extinguishing the fire.
For Schierman, it was a reminder of community.
"It's always nice to see everybody working together and doing what they can to help each other out. It wasn't necessarily my fire, but you never know when it is going to be yours."