Red Deer Emergency Services battled a large grass fire late last week.
Firefighters responded to the grass fire just north of the city, north of Highway 11A and west of Highway 2A, at about 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11.
"We sent some resources and called for some mutual resources from Red Deer County to help us deal with that fire," said Matt White, RDES assistant deputy chief.
"The fire was in some tall standing native grass, that is of course still in its dormant phase — so it's still brown. That coupled with a little bit of a wind we had that night got that fire going pretty good. It burned to a decent size. I would estimate about an acre to an acre and a half. Our crews did a good job getting there and putting a hit on it before it got into a stand of trees that would have been more difficult to extinguish."
Fire crews were on the scene for about an hour and a half.
"It was under control quickly, but (crews) spent time mopping it up and making sure the fire was out so it wouldn't rekindle," White said, adding no cause has been determined.
"It can be difficult to determine the cause of these kinds of grass fires. I don't expect to get one determined on this one," said White.
Grass fires can be a concern around this time of the year, White added.
"The snow pack is gone and the trees haven't budded yet, so they're more susceptible to burn. The grasslands are still dormant, so they're still brown, meaning they have less moisture in them, and burn quicker and faster than they would if it was green," he said.
"We ask the public to be careful at all times, but especially this time of year. When outdoors, makes sure any fire pits are legal and approved. We ask the public to be careful in disposing of smoking materials and make sure all-terrain vehicles are cleaned and exhaust manifolds are free of debris — those are typically the biggest cause of those types of fires that we see."
RDES also responded to a couple smaller grass fires over the weekend that were dealt with quickly, White noted.
