Paul First Nation fire under control

Fire crews from the Paul First Nation and Stony Plain who are on scene at a massive grass fire that broke out near Lake Wabamun on Tuesday afternoon say the fire is now under control.

Water bombers from the province were called in to fight the blaze from above.

84 families were evacuated and put up in nearby hotels, but some residents stayed on, trying desperately to fight the fire.

"They asked me to leave my home, and I said I’m not leaving my home." Rachel Bearhead told Global News on Tuesday. "This is all I have and I’m not going to leave it."

Bearhead used a damp blanket to fight the flames back from her home, but not all local residents were so lucky. James Strong, his wife, and their eight children lost their home to the fire.

"It’s hard to see something like this." James Strong told Global News. "There’s no words that I can think of. This is devastating."

The family was able to remove a few sentimental items, but Strong says the home burned down on his 9th wedding anniversary.

Strong says firecrews put out a fire near his home on Saturday, but he fears hotspots were left behind, igniting a new fire.

According to RCMP, there is a possibility that the fire, which actually grew from many small fires, may have sparked from a blaze that kept crews busy over the weekend.

Windy conditions forecasted for Wednesday afternoon will likey not help the situation. Heavy equipment will be brought in to dig a perimeter around the site to hopefully contain the flames.

The Paul First Nation has declared a state of emergency, which will stay in effect for seven days.

So far in April, 241 wildfires have been reported in Alberta. That’s four times more fires than the province would usually see by this time of year.