Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village damaged in Good Friday wildfire
Fire crews east of Edmonton worked to mop up hot spots early Saturday from a wildfire the day earlier that left parts of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in ruins.
Lamont County Emergency Services Deputy Regional Fire Chief Scott Calder said Saturday morning that the fire remains under control but that buildings with the site's visitor centre and washrooms were destroyed.
'Due to the winds, (the fire) did spread fairly rapidly, but crews worked pretty hard and tried to get ahead of it as best we could,' he said.
'We didn't want it to get to this point, but we were fighting some pretty astronomical environmental issues.'
Calder said he was unaware of other buildings at the site that had been damaged but that Lamont County Emergency Services remained on scene.
He said around 30 firefighters helped put out the flames that were first reported around 2 p.m. on Good Friday. He said the initial call came in from south of Highway 16 outside of the park.
'It did spread fairly rapidly,' he said. 'Crews worked pretty hard and tried to get ahead of it as best we could.'
Fort Saskatchewan RCMP said the fire started amid dry conditions east of Elk Island National Park, behind the village, about 50 kilometres east of Edmonton.
The fire triggered evacuations Friday night, shutting down Highway 16 at the park.
Calder said calls for grass or wildfires are likely to become increasingly common in the weeks ahead.
'We would always recommend people to maintain their vegetation around their homes, ensure they don't have too much growing right next to buildings,' he said. 'Keep a clean yard. It's going to help decrease that spread of fire in the event of an accident.'
-More to come
mblack@postmedia.com
Wildfire burns Ukrainian Cultural Village, shuts Highway at Elk Island National Park, evacuation alert
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