Grass fire season ramps up with 4 blazes near Saskatoon

Four significant grass fires near Saskatoon kept fire crews busy on Tuesday.

The first started near Buck’s Auto Wrecking southwest of the city at around 8:18 a.m. The fire department said it was sparked when a loader hit a power pole, dislodging the lines.

Crews were on scene for nearly three and a half hours putting it out.

Another blaze started near Grasswood Road and Clarence Avenue just before 11 a.m. when a controlled burn got away from the owner.

A short time later, crews raced to Valley Road, where a fire burned for over six hours.

Then, just before 3 p.m., crews returned to Auction Mart Road northwest of the city where once again, a controlled burn got away from the owner.

None of the fires led to any injuries or building losses.

Assistant Chief Dave Bykowy advised acreage owners to exercise caution when attempting controlled burns at this time of year.

“Even after a soaking rain, it’s amazing how quickly dead grass can dry out when you get a little bit of a wind blowing on it,” he said, “so it’s really best to avoid using fire to … clean things up.”

He added that a relatively dry winter and very little spring precipitation has made the situation more volatile .

“We haven’t got any new growth yet, so it’s all dry fuel just waiting to go,” Bykowy said.

There have been nine grass fires in the Saskatoon area so far this year.