The wildfire near Rocky Mountain House, as of Friday, June 3, the day it began. (@AlbertaWildfire on Twitter)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

no one hurt and no property damaged

Wildfire sparked near Rocky Mountain House now fully extinguished

Jun 10, 2022 | 3:08 PM

A wildfire sparked north of Rocky Mountain House on June 3 is now fully extinguished, an Alberta Wildfire spokesperson shares.

The final flames were put out on June 9, with a final peak size of about 12.7 hectares.

Josée St-Onge, provincial information officer, says there is no indication of structural damages anywhere, and Clearwater County was able to assist with structural protection of nearby acreages and a gas plant as the fire was in its early stages.

There were also no injuries and the cause remains under investigation.

St-Onge says about 70 per cent of wildfires are human-caused.

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A red pin shows the location of where the wildfire began, and how close it was to the Centrica Ferrier gas plant — only about 1.7 km north. (Google Maps)

“There were definitely some concerns at the time because the weather was so hot and it was dry in the area, but since then, we’ve received quite a bit of rain, and it’s brought down the danger. We don’t expect this fire to flare up again,” she says.

“That said, we are seeing more lightning fires this time of year, as the heat comes in and we see more intense weather systems.”

Most wildfires which are human-caused, she adds, involve abandoned campfires or fireworks being set off without a permit. If a person is found to have caused a wildfire, the fine is $600, but that’s not the entire cost.

“People can also be held responsible for the amount of money it costs to fight the wildfire, and those sums can be quite large obviously. It’s not a risk worth taking,” she says. “Check if there’s a fire restriction or ban before you go out. There’s a lot of summer left, so it’s important to be aware because those are in place for a reason. Follow the rules to make sure that our forests stay green.”

The wildfire, which began 21 km north of Rocky Mountain House, and just 1.7 km north of the Centrica Ferrier gas plant, caused 20 people to be evacuated, according to Djurdjica Tutic, communications coordinator with Clearwater County.

“The evacuation order asked evacuees to check in at the Rocky Regional Recreation Centre in Rocky Mountain House. After checking in with the municipality, many evacuees chose to continue on to stay with friends and family overnight, and if lodgings were needed, they were accommodated at local businesses. Some evacuees chose to check in and stay at a nearby campground,” says Tutic.

“Due to the short duration of the evacuation, overnight accommodations were provided as needed, and breakfast in the morning.”

Ten people were accommodated in nearby local hotels or cabins.

The wildfire was deemed under control as of Monday, June 6, and the evacuation order ended late in the morning on Saturday, June 4.