EDMONTON – A wildfire in Lamont County has caused extensive damage. Two homes were destroyed and a total of 15 structures were lost in the county as of late Tuesday morning.
Global News has also learned that one firefighter was injured when a tree fell on him. The firefighter was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital. He is doing “okay,” according to the county fire chief.
Another firefighter was also injured Tuesday. Lamont County officials said both members are in stable condition.
Watch below: An early start to the wildfire season has a number of Alberta municipalities on edge. In Lamont County, at least one home has been destroyed as firefighters struggle to gain the upper hand on a wildfire. Fletcher Kent reports.
Bob Peyton’s home and seven other buildings on his rural property were destroyed in the fire.
Having recently finished renovations to his home, Peyton opened the windows Monday to get the air moving and immediately smelled the smoke from the nearby fire.
Within minutes, a peace officer was in Peyton’s backyard telling him the fire was spreading quickly and he needed to grab his personal belongings and get out of the area.
Peyton ran into the house, grabbed his dog and left. About 30 seconds down the road, Peyton looked back and saw flames engulf his property.
“I looked up and it was literally coming through the bush to the house. It was going 20 miles an hour,” Peyton said of the fire.
The flames quickly spread to the shed, which housed a lawn tractor and gas. Peyton compared the explosions to “World War Three.”
“It just exploded,” he said. “Went up like a bomb.”
Peyton also had a log summer house on the property and four fresh cords of wood that went up like kindling.
“As soon as those logs caught fire, the back of that building caught fire and it just went off like a rocket,” he explained. “I could see flames from two miles away… They had to be 60 or 70 feet off the ground.”
“It shows you the power the nature.”
The fire started Monday at around 1:15 p.m. and spread quickly. Thirty public and county employees are helping out where they can.
Concerns over the North East Skaro Fire forced emergency services to evacuate homes on Range Roads 185, 190 and 191 north of Township Road 580. People living on or near Range Roads 192 and 193 north of Township Road 580 were also being asked to leave their residences and the county asked anybody who felt at risk to leave the area and make their way to Highway 831.
Those who did decide to stay were asked to be prepared to evacuate when notified. On Tuesday, residents were told the evacuation was still recommended but not mandatory. There was no state of local emergency in place.
The Skaro fire had burned between 12 and 15 square miles by 1 p.m. Tuesday. Crews were in the process of containing it by focusing on fire breaks and putting out hot spots.
Emergency services left the impacted area overnight because it wasn’t safe for the firefighters to continue battling the blaze. However, RCMP officers patrolled the area and a water truck stayed at the scene.
Crews lost one fire engine in a separate fire in Lamont County.
WATCH: As of 7 p.m. Monday night, there were 26 wildfires burning across Alberta and six of them listed as out of control. That’s forced some people from their homes while crews work to put out the flames. Shallima Maharaj has the latest.
Displaced residents in need of a place to stay are asked to head to the Lamont Alliance Church which is being used as a reception centre.
For more information, area residents can call Lamont County at 780-895-2233.
Lamont County was under a complete fire ban as of Tuesday morning.
READ MORE: Wildfires in Parkland County prompt local state of emergency
There were 37 wildfires burning in Alberta – five were listed as out of control – as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.
“We’re looking at the forecast and things are going to continue to be hot and dry so I would expect things to continue to peak, but it looks like there’s some precipitation in the long-range forecast which will hopefully bring a bit of relief,” Alberta wildfire information officer Matthew Anderson said.
“We’re well staffed and prepared for this. This is what the guys do. Right now we have about 650 firefighters throughout the province, about 50 helicopters and a couple air tankers. There will be more coming on by the end of the week.”
READ MORE: Wildfire forces residents of Paul First Nation from their homes
Visit the government of Alberta’s website for the very latest information on the wildfire status across Alberta and the current fire ban situation.