A menacing grass fire north of Vita ensured municipal fire crews did not have a lot of time to rest this past Easter weekend.

According to Stuartburn Fire Chief Bob Fostey, a spark from a vehicle stuck in the ditch ignited a patch of dry grass early Saturday afternoon. The strong winds that day quickly transformed the spark into a raging wildfire. The moment

Photo credit: Rob Pitura firefighters arrived on scene, he says it became apparent that they would not be leaving any time soon.


Fostey describes flames reaching several feet in the air and smoke extending considerably further into the warm, sunny skies. The rough terrain, parched land, and forceful gusts, made for difficult firefighting conditions. Crews battled the blaze well into the night and Fostey says they finally gained the upper hand only once 600 acres of land had gone up in smoke.

“We were finished up with that fire at about 4:30 in the morning,” notes Fostey, “and then we were called out the following day to the same location. It had rekindled and was threatening a farmyard in the near vicinity.”

Another tough skirmish ensued. As Fostey indicates, Saturday’s winds carried through into Sunday and created challenges identical to those his crews had faced the previous day.

“Conditions are extremely dry and any wind that comes up compounds the situation and makes it a lot worse,” details the chief. “The [farmyard] narrowly escaped disaster.”

An additional 300 acres of land were devoured by the fire before Stuartburn crews were able to completely extinguish it. Remarkably, Fostey says no farmland, homes, or private property were damaged in the fire.

“The guys were awesome,” he offers. “They worked hard and put their heads down and did what they had to do. We’ve got an amazing crew out there and I thank all of them.”

As a result of this fire, the RM of Stuartburn has issued a fire ban. As of Sunday afternoon, fires are only allowed in approved fire pits, burn containers, or solid fuel-burning appliances.