Hamlet saved by quick working fire crews
The swift and co-ordinated teamwork of seven fire departments helped save homes in the tiny hamlet of Moon River Estates from an approaching wildfire.
The fire started at approximately 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, west of the hamlet located in the Municipal District of Willow Creek.
Fire crews arrived on scene and an evacuation order was issued immediately. The MD also opened its emergency communications office.
Authorities initially told residents to evacuate to Lethbridge. But as the fire quickly approached and blocked the road, anyone who had not yet left was told to head down the hill to the horse paddock.
Half of the more than 100 residents were able to leave and head to Lethbridge but the other half were not, said Cynthia Vizutti, Chief Administrative Officer for the MD of Willow Creek.
“By the time they got them ready for evacuation the fire had impacted the exit out of Moon River Estates,” she said.
For Moon River residents Mike Petty and his commonlaw wife Jen, it was a sleepless night. Petty, his wife, father and their pets headed to the river, as the smoke and fire made the exit road impassable.
“You could see a huge glow of flames off to the west of the road and I’m guessing they’re thinking it would cross and hit houses because of the high winds,” he said. Petty said they brought industrial equipment down the hill to build a channel to get across the river in case it was needed.
“Because there’s only one way to get in and out of Moon River. There’s just one access road, that’s it. So they were planning to get across the river if we needed to.”
Petty said it was a huge wake-up call as he didn’t have an emergency plan and there was very little time to evacuate.
At least seven fire departments assisted with support from Lethbridge County, the MD of Willow Creek Fire Services, Nobleford and Coalhurst Volunteer Fire Departments.
About 2.5 hours into the incident, the fire was beat down enough to allow the remainder of residents to be escorted to the highway to the reception centre set up in Fort Macleod.
Firefighters remained on scene until almost 5:30 a.m. to ensure all hot spots were extinguished. The co-ordination between districts and fire departments was smooth, said Vizutti.