Saturday saw fire crews from both local and regional city, town, and county departments, as well as wildland firefighters battling both grassfires and wildfires amid dry and warm conditions.
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On Saturday afternoon, Rocky View County officials had alerted the public to a wildland grass fire that had started at approximately 3:40 p.m., east of Lochend Road, near Woodland Road.
Officials stated that the blaze grew to 1.5 hectares quickly and that multiple agencies responded to the incident, including three Rocky View County fire stations, alongside mutual aid partners from Cochrane Fire Services, Calgary Fire Department, and Alberta Forestry.
"A rotary helicopter with a water bucket is assisting, and ground crews are working to fully contain and extinguish the blaze," officials stated. "A total of 14 apparatus and multiple ground crews remain actively engaged. Alberta Forestry continues to assist with aerial water drops and a tach crew."
The fire was held, and officials noted that residents in the area were accounted for and no evacuation was required.
"No homes or primary structures have been lost, although several were threatened. One outbuilding was lost earlier in the response," officials said.
By Saturday evening, officials said the fire had been fully extinguished and there was no further risk to the public at this time.
"All fire crews have been demobilized except for one bush buggy, which will remain on site overnight to monitor for hot spots. Station 103 (Bearspaw) will coordinate rotating crews to provide ongoing fire watch through the night," RVC officials stated.
Hours prior, Mountain View County officials alerted the public that they were monitoring a Wildfire (RWF030), which was burning in the Forest Protection Area (FPA) west of Sundre. That fire was in Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, which, according to Alberta Wildfire, has an extreme wildfire danger.
"Dead and dry vegetation continues to be a major concern, as it is highly flammable and provides an easily available fuel source for wildfires. Significant precipitation will be necessary to help reduce the wildfire danger," Alberta Wildfire noted on Saturday.
Initially, the fire was deemed out of control; however, by Saturday evening, officials noted in an update that Alberta Forestry had updated the wildfire’s status to Being Held.
"This classification indicates that, given current weather conditions and available resources, the wildfire is not expected to grow beyond its existing boundaries," officials said.
While the fire remains active, it was stated that containment efforts have been effective, and the situation is stable.
"Authorities continue to monitor the area closely, and suppression activities are ongoing to ensure the fire remains within control lines. Residents in the vicinity are encouraged to stay informed and prepared."
The grass fire in Rocky View County comes as the region is under a fire advisory for both the east and west portions of the county, while Mountain View County has enacted a fire restriction. The City of Airdrie is under a fire advisory.
The Calgary Forest Area is currently at a high wildfire risk.
"Although we are starting to see hints of spring and green-up, there is ample dry fuel on the landscape that could fuel fast-moving wildfires. Dead and dry grass carries an extreme wildfire risk at this time of year," officials noted on Friday.
While Airdrie saw a very warm Saturday, temperatures in the coming days are expected to taper off to more seasonal values. On Sunday, Airdrie may see rain and a high of 12 degrees.
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