Firefighters from the Cochrane area responded to a grass fire Tuesday afternoon near Ghost Lake, just off Highway 1A, west of Calgary.
Cochrane RCMP said the fire was burning between Range Road 60 and Morley Road, on the north side of Ghost Lake.
The fire broke out on a warm, 10 C afternoon in which Environment Canada reported sustained winds of 30 km/h, with gusts of up to 40 km/h.
RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney said the fire was said to be spreading rapidly when it was called in by members of Stoney Nakoda Fire Department and there were concerns some evacuations may be necessary the flames continued to spread.
Police said Highway 1A was not passable. Drivers were being asked to avoid the area and officers were on scene redirecting traffic in both directions.
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Eastbound traffic was being diverted to Highway 1 at Morley Road and westbound traffic was being diverted back to Cochrane and Highway 22 at Ghost Lake Cottages.
Both firefighters and crews from Volker Stevin highway maintenance and construction company were working to fight the flames.
The fire was near the old McDougall Church, which itself was destroyed by an arson fire in May of 2017.
Just before 5:00 p.m. the RCMP announced that the fire had been contained and Highway 1A had been reopened to traffic.
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