Firefighters battle grass fire through night

Okotoks: No on injured in blaze south of town

photo courtesy Hans Woehleke

A fire lights up the night sky south of Okotoks on Sept. 29. The grass fire burned through the night as firefighters battled to keep it contained.

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Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish a fire that broke out on a field southwest of Okotoks, covering much of a quarter section.

Okotoks deputy fire chief Jim Smith said their primary concerns were preventing the fire from reaching two grain bins and a sour gas well located on the field. It took several hours and the blaze did get close, but they were successful, he said.

“The only risk was the grain bins and the other risk was the gas well,” said Smith. “With both, neither were involved and the boys did a great job there.”

The blaze started sometime after 7 p.m. on Sept. 29 and firefighters were still on-scene on Friday morning extinguishing hot spots.

A bailer on a neighbouring field to the south ignited the fire. It then spread north across the field through grass, stubble on the field and a small patch of trees.

“I believe it was a spark (from) one of the bearings on the bailer,” said Smith.

It ended up covering much of a 160-acre quarter section southwest of Okotoks near the intersection of 402 Avenue and 32 Street West.

The area had been harvested the day before and the grain was stored in bins on the site.

No one was hurt in the incident. While there is an abandoned building on the field, Smith said there was no risk to any buildings or structures.

Additional firefighters were called in from Black Diamond, Turner Valley and High River to help extinguish the blaze.

Smith said they also called on additional outside resources to fight the fire. They used two tractors with cultivators and two bobcats to establish a fire break.

“They came and assisted and did a great job in taking care of surrounding the fire, creating fire breaks and knocking down the bail fires,” he said.