An afternoon grass fire west of Drumheller prompted officials to close two highways after the blaze jumped Highway 575.
Debra Grosfield with Kneehill County says fire crews from the county as well as crews from Carbon, Linden and Acme responded to a rural area near the intersection of Highway 21 and Highway 575 shortly before 3:00 p.m. following reports of fire.
Peace officers blocked sections of both highways after smoke reduced visibility in the area and flames threatened the road.
Randy Procyshen was leaving Drumheller when he encountered the grassfire.
“All you see is just mounds and mounds of smoke in the air,” said Procyshen. “As you come across one hill, all you could see was the orange from a farmer’s field.”
“It was just fire truck after fire truck from Smalwell and Linden and Carbon and Three Hills and Drumheller, all converging to control the fire. You started to see a lot of farmers with their tractors, with their plows and their cultivators attached to try and make firebreaks in the field.”
Procyshen says firefighters struggled to get a jump on the fire as a strong wind from the north caused the blaze to spread and several structures were in the path of the fire.
“The heat was so intense and the flames were probably 100 feet from my truck as we were stopped on the side of the road.”
According to Grosfield, the fire was considered to be under control by 4:00 p.m. and there are no reports indicating the fire damaged any structures.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
An afternoon grassfire west of Drumheller prompted officials to close two highways after the blaze jumped Highway 575.
