(File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Grass fire in Little Red River Park burns four acres, human-caused

Apr 18, 2023 | 11:33 AM

A grass fire in Prince Albert’s Little Red River Park could have been a lot worse if not for the weather.

That’s according to Fire Chief Kris Olsen who told paNOW the cold temperatures and rain on Monday helped his crews contain the blaze to around four acres.

“If that would have been another day, even Saturday or Sunday when we had the temperatures in the teens, that could have had a completely different outcome,” he said.

The fire happened in the park’s Upper East Plains. It took crews around three hours to get it under control as windy conditions pushed the blaze into the Nisbet Provincial Forest.

Olsen also gave his crew a lot of credit for their hard work in getting the blaze under control as fast as they did as the wind could have easily pushed it toward the city or rural properties.

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Location of grass fire. (City of Prince Albert)

He said it didn’t take them long to determine it was human-caused as they found evidence of a ground fire being created using debris most likely from a garbage bin.

“We don’t find that very often.”

While they didn’t start this grass fire, multiple fireworks were also found in the area.

“It’s disappointing, probably 20 plus discarded fireworks that weren’t there last fall,” Olsen added.

He’s hoping people understand that fireworks could have caused a fire like this. He’s also frustrated because people continue to ignore their messages about the dangers of using fireworks or having campfires, especially when dry conditions make it easy for wildfires to start.

“I don’t know how to send that message out,” he said.

Meanwhile, the road leading into the Upper East Plains will remain closed off to the public for the time being.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow