A grass fire near Oak Hammock Marsh burned through a portion of the conservation area Sunday night, prompting a multi-department firefighting response.
Crews were called around 8 p.m. and managed to get the blaze under control by midnight.
Jacques Bourgeois, marketing and communications manager with Oak Hammock Marsh, said the fire was likely sparked by lightning. It came within 350 metres of the Harry J. Enns Wetland Discovery Centre, but wind conditions pushed the flames away from the building.
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Charred ground surrounds the Harry J. Enns Wetland Discovery Centre at Oak Hammock Marsh on Monday. The fire came within 350 metres of the building but was pushed away by wind and brought under control by midnight
About 25 per cent of the marshland area was burned, he said, likely destroying some bird nests.
“It is still early in the season, so birds will re-nest,” said Bourgeois, who added that programming at the centre was not impacted. Oak Hammock Marsh is still scheduled to celebrate its grand re-opening on May 24.
Farmer Curtis McRae was seeding on his tractor two miles away when he saw the lightning strike.
“I was starstruck — I had only heard of lightning starting fires,” he said. “I was also fearful because I didn’t know where the fire was and I had to assess what kind of danger I was in.”
McRae’s property was not affected. He said he saw smoke almost immediately and flames within five minutes, prompting him to notify local volunteer firefighters that they would likely be getting a call.
