LETHBRIDGE- The warm, dry weather has prompted both the city and Lethbridge County to implement a fire ban.
Residents in north Lethbridge learned all to quickly just how dry the coulees are after a large grass fire came dangerously close to Legacy Ridge on Saturday.
Fire crews were able to get the blaze under control before any major damage was done, but say the whole ordeal could have been avoided.
It was a terrifying moment for residents on the north side over the weekend, fearing a wild fire could wipe out their homes in minutes.
The large grass fire came within meters of Jennifer Gonzalez’s home, “I looked outside and saw all the smoke and it was just billowing up we heard the fire trucks, It was the scariest moment of my life, I felt sick to my stomach.”
Without taking any chances she packed up and left as soon as possible, “I packed enough clothes for a few days, grabbed all the important documents, the kids and the dogs and I just left, I wanted to get out of there and not wait until I was told to evacuate.”
Lethbridge Fire Prevention Officer Mark Hoveling says the blaze could have been prevented, but the dangerously dry conditions in the river valley created the perfect combination for an out of control fire, “It looks like someone was having an illegal fire pit down here in the coulees, had a little bit of shelter with a cement culvert using some straw, the wind picked up and the straw caught back on fire.”
The dry conditions prompted both the city and the county to issue a fire ban until further notice.
“Spring hasn’t sprung yet. The coulees are full of dry brown grass now that the snow has melted and we need to get some rain to turn the hills green,” ads Hoveling.
The blaze burned around the Altalink Substation and fire officials say the short grass and the amount of gravel prevented the flames from jumping the road and spreading to residential areas.
The grass fire burned about 20 acres within the coulee near softball valley.
City officials are asking everyone to think twice before striking a match or throwing out a cigarette butt.
Excluded from the fire ban within the city are the stoves at the John Martin Centre, the fire pit at the Elks Recreation Community Compound, the picnic shelter at Popson Park, the community fire pit at Bridgeview R-V resort and any fire pit at a private home.
All active fire permits within the county have been cancelled and no new permits will be issued until further notice.
Comments