Fire crews battle large grassfire near east edge of Calgary

Smoke from the grassfire near the intersection of Stoney Trail and Peigan Trail Southeast

Members of the Calgary Fire Department successfully extinguished a morning grassfire in the southeast.

Shortly after 11:30 a.m., crews were deployed to a field near the intersection of Stoney Trail and Peigan Trail Southeast following reports of smoke.

The towering plume of smoke could be seen from all quadrants of the city.

“When fire crews arrived, they found a grassfire that was approximately the size of a football field,” said Carol Heinke, Calgary Fire Department public information officer. “With the wind picking up in gusts, they worked very quickly and hard to contain it and keep it from spreading.”

“The good news is there were no buildings in the close proximity so there were no structures at risk.”

The fire was extinguished within an hour's time and crews remaind on scene to ensure hotspots did not reignite.

“The Calgary Fire Department still has a fire safety advisory in effect. It’s very, very dry and we haven’t received the amount of precipitation that would change that advisory,” said Heinke. “We encourage Calgarians to be extra careful with any open flames and to be very careful where they discard their cigarettes, only discard them in an appropriate ashtray.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.