Crews deal with grassfires over weekend

Local fire departments responded to two small grassfires over the weekend just west of Medicine Hat.

Medicine Hat firefighters responded to the first grassfire around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, situated on Highway 3 near Range Road 63. Local citizens were on scene when firefighters arrived to knock down the fire, and handle hotspots.

A second fire was then reported about a kilometre west, and Cypress County personnel were on the scene by the time Medicine Hat firefighters arrived.

There has been no determination of the cause of either fire.

The grassfire season had an early start this year, said Carter Gramlich fire prevention officer with the Medicine Hat Fire Service, as once the snow melted there was tall dry grass from last season present. “We’re in a period right now before everything turns green where there’s a grassfire risk. Throughout April, May, June, it kind of subsides — not to say it can’t happen — but the potential is not as great.”

The risk rises again later into the summer, as the weather becomes hot and dry each day.

One of the biggest risks for causing a grassfire is the disposal of cigarette butts.

“It’s a terrible habit that a lot of people have, is just to throw their cigarette butt out the window, and causes grassfires for us for sure,” said Gramlich. Alongside cigarettes, the public is asked to be mindful about anything they use that can produce sparks or has open flames.

Be fire smart

Property owners adjacent to natural areas can also take “fire smart” steps to reduce the possibility of a grassfire spreading, similar to methods more common in areas where there are forest fires.

“The same principles could apply if you live in natural areas in Medicine Hat ... people who live there can evaluate ‘What if there’s a fire here? How can I prevent it from spreading into my property?”

Fire can travel quite quickly if there’s an element of wind or elevation change, said Gramlich, like a fire that occurred a few years ago in the coulee behind the Upland Drive area. So property owners can trim grass back, and take other steps to create a buffer zone and stop fire from spreading.