A small brush fire Monday morning near a walking trail in Highland Green was the just the latest fire in the area, according to a local resident.
"I woke up to see fire trucks and they went down there with their big hose," said the resident about fire firefighters who responded to a fire at about 7 a.m. near the trails behind Howarth Street Close, on the southern edge of the neighbourhood near a green space.
The resident, who did not want to be named, said it was the third fire this spring that she knew about. Fires also broke out last summer.
Evan Stewart, assistant deputy chief with Red Deer Emergency Services, said crews did attend a small outside fire Monday morning.
"It was a minor incident that was dealt with quite quickly by the crews," said Stewart, who had not yet received an update on the cause of the fire.
The resident said children alerted her to a larger fire that looked to be out of control in the same area on April 1 in the afternoon.
"That one was scary. If the fire department had been three or four minutes slower the townhouses would have been involved because the wind was picking up and it was blowing the flames and debris."
"(Flames) were just feet from the concrete sidewalk. If they jumped the concrete sidewalk they would get into trees. Directly 10 feet behind those trees, are rows of townhouses."
She believes that fire may have been caused by a homeless camp that was down the hill and in a nearby wooded area.
"Some people have had to resort to that. I completely understand. We are near the Mustard Seed, so of course, that's going to be an area where they will choose to live to be close to the amenities they need."
Stewart did not readily have information on the cause of that fire, but said there are several causes for fires, including careless burning by members of the public in the city's green spaces.
"It's not uncommon at this time of the year in Alberta to respond to multiple fires in vegetated areas we have in the city.
"This much needed rain event over the next 24 to 48 hours will definitely help quite a bit. That doesn't change the fact that we want the public to remain fire smart. We could see the potential for wildfires later in the year or even later in the spring if we go long periods of time without moisture. As it stands right right now we're in a bit of a better place than we were last year," he said.
The resident said that last fall, city crews cleared the area of garbage and brush, and another massive cleanup is needed again.
"It's extremely dry which is why I would like the city to encourage their crews to clean it up and make it a little less ignitable. That would make a huge difference."
She said it's a beautiful area. It just needs to be cleaned up like pathways and parks the city keeps clean in other neighbourhoods.
"It wouldn't take much to clean it up. We pay our taxes. There's no excuse for that."
Stewart said the city's parks department does look after city green spaces and has a very comprehensive plan on how they strategically visit all the spaces every year. The department also works in partnership with fire prevention officers on plans for vegetation management in green spaces. They are assessed on an annual basis but he did not know when this area would be checked.