Wildfire season continues in force even though wet, cold weather has dampened the dry dead grass from last fall.
High winds on May 1 fanned a fire into an out of control blaze about a mile south of Highway 12 on Range Road 22-0, the Stettler Regional Fire department reported.
Stations 1 and 2 were called out to handle the burning fields, and for five hours, the volunteer firefighters struggled against the hungry blaze and the frisky winds before they were able to declare the fire out.
By the time the possibility of wind kicking up an ember and reigniting the blaze completely disappeared, roughly 30 acres of field were left charred and black – along with about 200 hay bales.
According to fire department spokesperson Amanda Spensley, no structures were damaged in the fire, and the cause has been yet to be determined.