Weekend wildfire has destroyed at least three homes in the Summer Village of Sandy Beach, triggering a local state of emergency.
Sturgeon County, in a Saturday night social media post, said the wildfire “consumed three homes and badly damaged another” in the village about 64 km northwest of Edmonton.
The county said fire crews from multiple jurisdictions worked through Saturday evening and the blaze is now considered held with no further damage to structures. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Sandy Beach Mayor Dave Noyes on Sunday said the fire began Saturday afternoon and spread quickly before engulfing between two and four hectares of land. He thanked the quick work of emergency crews who were able to prevent the fire from spreading further.
“They did a fantastic job here,” Noyes said.
Residents of the area are being asked to adhere to instruction from fire crews and wait for further updates from administration in the village, which has a population of roughly 300 on the edge of Sandy Lake, a popular fishing spot.
Noyes expected to lift the state of emergency by late afternoon Sunday.
He said there was no need to evacuate anyone and that no people were in the destroyed homes at the time of the fire. Noyes said he’s urging residents to be especially cautious about fires amid the dry conditions.
Sturgeon County remains under a fire ban, along with Parkland County, while others in the region are under restrictions and advisories.
Crews battled a wildfire overnight at the Summer Village of Sandy Beach, a quiet community northwest of Edmonton. Photos supplied by Sturgeon County
The fire comes on the 10-year anniversary of the May 3, 2016, Fort McMurray wildfire, which destroyed 2,400 homes and between 10 and 15 per cent of the city.
Alberta Wildfire information officer Derrick Forsythe told Postmedia that the period after the spring melt is especially potent for wildfires, as dry grass and other fine fuels that were buried under the snow become exposed.
Forsythe also said the province is seeing a slower start to the season compared to previous years.
Sturgeon County has said it had recorded seven grassfires already this year, as of Friday, while the province has seen around 100 wildfires so far.
Strong winds, a driver of wildfires, were in the forecast for most of Sunday, with Environment Canada anticipating speeds of 40 km/h gusting to 60 km/h. Temperatures are set to hover around 18 C before cooling off in the evening.
The City of Edmonton, meanwhile, plans a controlled burn at Jan Reimer Park on Monday, weather permitting. The burn should consume around 19 hectares.
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