A beloved heritage site east of Edmonton near Lamont County caught fire late Friday afternoon amid warm, dry conditions and windy weather.
RCMP said several buildings caught fire at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village (UCHV), located about an hour east of Edmonton.
Lamont County said its firefighters responded to the grass fire around 4 p.m., at which time it was still east of Elk Island National Park, behind the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village.
The county said the fire was inside the UCHV, impacting the Visitor Centre and other buildings. It also jumped to the north side of Highway 16 as well.
While the fire spread to structures inside the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, the total number damaged was unknown on Friday night. RCMP shared photos of the damage, which revealed several buildings had been reduced to rubble.
Fort Saskatchewan RCMP got involved about an hour after the fire broke out, as the flames spread out of control, sending up thick, black smoke.
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Police to closed the Yellowhead/Highway 16 between the entrance to Elk Island National Park and Range Road 194 in both directions for several hours.
Just after 7 p.m., RCMP sent out an update saying evacuations had begun for properties on Range Road 195, north of Highway 16, in Lamont County.
Other homeowners in that area were told to be prepared to evacuate if necessary, but just after 9 p.m., an update was issued that the fire was being contained and the local RCMP evacuation precaution was no longer required.
At 9:30 p.m., Lamont County said the fire was being held, so Highway 16 was reopening to traffic and RCMP was allowing residents back to their homes.
RCMP added emergency crews would still be in the area fighting what was left of the fires, and the public was asked to remain vigilant and to please avoid any actions that could contribute to lowering the effectiveness of their work.
Lamont County said both its crews and aid from surrounding communities like Strathcona County were working on the fire.
The fire broke out on a warm, windy evening. The temperature was expected to drop to 7-8 C overnight with a chance of pre-dawn rain.
While Saturday is expected to be cooler, the wind is expected to remain with gusts coming in around 50 hm/h.
Lamont County enacted a fire restriction two days ago for the rural community east of Edmonton, due to continued dry conditions, lack of precipitation, and wind speeds.
The open-air UCHV museum in east-central Alberta, complete with costumed interpreters and dozens of buildings, was founded in 1971 and celebrates the province’s rich Ukrainian history.
Ukrainians first started coming to Alberta in the 1890s, and the province is home to the greatest number of Ukrainian descendants outside of the European nation itself.
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