The arrival of spring doesn't just bring the return of birds, longer days, and warmer weather.
As Airdrie residents experienced earlier this week, the post-winter months are a prime time for grass fires, which can pose danger to people and property alike.
Multiple grass fires emerged south and north of Airdrie on April 4. The cause of the fires didn't take long to suss out, as they all had one thing in common: their proximity to the Canadian Pacific Rail line. Fire investigators quickly determined sparks flying off a passing train had lit the grasses that grow adjacent to the rail line.
The April 4 fires, while perhaps hard to avoid or prevent, are a reminder that we have officially entered grass fire season. Living in the prairies, it's reasonable to expect to see more headlines in the future about wild fires spreading. A grass fire west of Calgary was burning out of control on March 31, and only the combined efforts of fire crews and neighbouring ranchers were able to keep the blaze from destroying plenty of property.
As Sparky would remind you, there are ways to prevent grass fires. Most are certainly preventable, and the root cause of many grass fires is unfortunate human behaviour. Flicking a cigarette butt out the window while driving or carelessly and improperly burning garbage in a burn barrel, for example, are two ways these kinds of fires can start. And once they start, they're hard to stop.
The City of Airdrie issued a fire advisory the day after the April 4 fires, due to the dry and windy weather that is forecasted to persist. As of press time, the fire advisory was still in effect, meaning all existing fire permits are suspended (except for acceptable burn barrels and incinerators), and new fire permits will not be issued until conditions improve.
We would plead with our readers to abide by the advisory, details of which can be found on both AirdrieToday.com and Airdrie.ca
