CAMPBELLTON — Approximately three acres of brush and tall grass burned Wednesday afternoon in Campbellton, fanned along by strong wind.
The fire was located along the back end of a field near a tree line, parallel to the O’Halloran Road. It advanced over a distance of about half a kilometre before firefighters applied the brakes.
Incident commander Dale Gaudet, with P.E.I. Forestry, said they were able to determine where the fire started but not how it started.
He said they were fortunate to extinguish the fire when they did as it was approaching a grove of mature spruce trees before firefighters stopped it.
“We were able to keep it out of the heavy stuff. If we hadn’t, we’d still be in there,” said Ron Phillips, chief of the O’Leary Fire Department.
His department was first on scene, and Gaudet said they did an excellent job bringing the fire under control.
“We’re lucky in every sense of the word because the wind is right to give us a really bad fire.”
“It was heading towards a lot of spruce and it was just because of the efficiency of the O’Leary Fire Department. They were right in on it. There was quite a flame going on a while ago,” added Gaudet.
Alberton and Miminegash fire departments also assisted and West Point Fire Department was on scene with a West Prince Forestry fire truck.
The fire was called in at 2 p.m. as a grass fire that was not located near any buildings. Phillips said the first of his firefighters were on scene about 10 minutes later. The last of the firefighters were packing up around 3:45 p.m.
He said the fire consumed some brush and a few large trees.
Gaudet said a landowner in the area noticed the fire and called 9-1-1. He said the landowners then went out for a look and realized the fire was already too far advanced for them to tackle.
Firefighters lugged hoses across an open field and the O’Leary Fire Department’s tracked gator also delivered water and equipment to the fire scene.
Forestry had its own tracked vehicle en route but it was turned around once it was obvious the fire was out.
This is the second grass fire in two days in the West Prince area. Firemen were also called in to put out a brush and grass fire in Victoria West Tuesday afternoon.
