Anthony Henday Drive reopened after grass fire forced closure near Sherwood Park

The cause of a wildfire that shut down parts of Edmonton's Anthony Henday Drive on the weekend is still under investigation.

A grass fire forced the closure of Anthony Henday Drive and several connecting roads for almost two hours on Saturday.

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Devin Capcara with Strathcona County Emergency Services said the fire was reported at 12:24 p.m. near a pipeline bridge between Edmonton and Sherwood Park.

“We got here, we were able to protect the pipelines but the fire got into the grass fields behind us here, creating a lot of smoke,” Capcara said.

“Visibility on the Henday was pretty much down to zero.”

Between 1:31 and 3:13 p.m., RCMP had closed the Henday and multiple connecting roads between Wye Road and Highway 16 due to the fire and heavy smoke.

Capcara said seven trucks and 16 firefighters were called in due to the conditions.

“Wind plays a major factor when grass fires get going,” he said. “The fire moved rather quickly and covered a lot of area out here.”

As of Saturday afternoon, Capcara said Strathcona County Emergency Services had responded to four grass fires -- though the Henday fire was the largest and most disruptive.

“It’s that time of the year,” he said. “A little bit of sun and a little bit of wind and things dry out really quickly.”

There was no word yet on the cause of the fire.