A forest fire from Friday east of Edmonton destroyed or damaged several buildings in the Ukrainian cultural heritage village, none of which was historical structures.
The fire near Elk Island National Park jumped the 16 highway and closed the traffic route for several hours. This led five homes to evacuate by caution. But the firefighters put the flames under control before they approached those houses, a RCMP Alberta spokesman told CBC.
Mounties have not yet confirmed the scope of the damage. But Jay Zaal, a Lamont County spokesman, where the town is located, told CBC News that four structures were affected, including the town’s visitors center.
The photos shared by RCMP on Friday show significant damage to the Ukrainian cultural heritage village. A building in the photo had been reduced to debris.
The people, an outdoor museum that represents the life of the first settlers and Ukrainian culture, contains dozens of historical buildings, all of which firefighters were able to protect. But some administrative and operational buildings “were lost,” said Zaal.
This video captured by David Czerwinski shows a fire that extends rapidly on the outskirts of Elk Island National Park on Friday night. The flames extend to multiple structures in the Ukrainian cultural heritage village, according to RCMP, although the scope of the damage cannot be confirmed.
Lamont County emergency services responded to the fire around 4 pm on Friday and called mutual help from Strathcona, said Zaal. Devin Capca, Deputy Director of Planning and Projects of the Emergency Services of Strathcona County, confirmed that “several crews” were sent to the scene.
A Alberta Fire Wildfire spokesman told CBC News that the fire fell outside the provincial forest protection area, and regional fire fighting agencies did not request the agency’s help.
Although, according to RCMP spokesman, some local farmers used their team to help wet the flames once the road jumped.
RCMP issued an update around 9:45 pm, saying that the fire was considered under control. The evacuation order rose and the road was reopened to traffic in both directions.
The dry climate and strong winds took into account the one -hour fire fight, said Zaal, added that the conditions forced air support to stay on land.
An RCMP spokesman told CBC News around 10 pm on Friday that it was not clear if evacuated residents had returned to their homes.
In a night statement published in X, previously Twitter, Alberta’s Minister of Arts, the culture and status of Tanya Fir, thanked the first to respond for their efforts, pointing out that no village personnel were in the site and no injuries were reported.
She said more information will be shared this weekend.
We are aware of the fire in the village of the Cultural Heritage of Ukraine and we understand the deep concern that this brings, since this is an irreplaceable piece in the history of Alberta. Fortunately, no staff was in the place and no injuries have been reported.
The fire is being contained and the … https://t.co/bkkgfzwv
On Saturday morning, the teams were still monitoring hot points in the town and the pastures where the fire began, Zaal said in an email at 8:20 am
Elk Island National Park and neighboring Lamont County are under a fire restriction. RCMP says that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
