All-terrain vehicle fire sparked provincial park blaze northeast of Edmonton, officials say

An all-terrain vehicle that caught fire in a remote stretch of an Alberta provincial park is being blamed for igniting a wildfire now burning out of control northeast of Edmonton. 

The wildfire in the Redwater Provincial Recreation Area, which burned out of control through the weekend, has destroyed 400 hectares and put nearby residents on evacuation alert.  

Chad Moore, fire chief for Sturgeon County, told a news conference Monday that the blaze began after an ATV caught fire deep within the provincial park.

The park is about 2,200 hectares.

Moore said there was no access to water in that remote portion of the park, or other means to quickly extinguish the flames before they spread into the trees.

The fire was called in by the rider of the quad who had attempted to extinguish the flames, he said. It is unclear if the cause was a mechanical or electrical issue, Moore said.

"They did their best to extinguish the fire," Moore said.

"I'm told that they had a case of water with them. They tried throwing sand on it."

There was no restriction on ATV use in the area at the time.

"I certainly congratulate them on their efforts. They did try to extinguish it but unfortunately it had spread beyond." 

Moore said the recreation area is under provincial government jurisdiction.

Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen said the province continually reviews off-highway vehicle bans and fire restrictions to ensure the appropriate advisories are in place for provincial parks.

"It depends on the conditions. It depends on what the fuel loads are like and what the moisture content is for the forest, and we look at them on an ongoing basis across the province to make sure we put the right restrictions in place at any given time."

An evacuation alert remains in effect for an area of Sturgeon County and residents should be prepared to evacuate if the situation worsens.

The remote location of the fire and its extreme growth complicated fire-fighting efforts, Moore said. 

He said the fire behaviour was extreme over the weekend with flying embers creating a dynamic, potentially dangerous situation for crews. 

The fire spread rapidly through the surrounding forest, moving quickly through the treetops and moving south toward nearby homes, quadrupling in size as it spread. 

Embers were being blown ahead of the fire, creating multiple spot fires which then joined up into one larger fire area, Moore said.

"We are limited in our ability to do that initial attack deep in the bush," he said.

"And as soon as we see any type of growth that can threaten firefighters, then we pull back to those edges and start building that defensive boundary to work back in." 

The county issued an evacuation notice Saturday evening, warning residents to prepare to flee in case conditions worsen. Shortly after midnight, the county declared a state of local emergency.

One home was destroyed as the flames spread through the rural farmland that surrounds the provincial park.

The affected areas include Range Road 205 to Victoria Trail; Township Road 574 to Range Road 205; and Township Road 574 to Range Road 203. 

The evacuation alert area includes areas south of Township Road 580 to the North Saskatchewan River and east of Range Road 212 to the North Saskatchewan River.

At 10:50 p.m. Monday, the county issued a wildfire alert for those living in the area from Range Road 211 east to Range Road 203 and between Township Road 580 south to Township Road 573. Residents in that area are being told that if a mandatory evacuation order is issued, they will have one hour to evacuate.

As of Monday afternoon, the fire was considered 70 per cent contained. 

Moore said crews are not anticipating the boundary of the fire to change dramatically on Monday but crews are preparing for a projected shift in the winds through the evening and into Tuesday morning.