Discarded ashes spark Fort MacLeod fire

Posted Jan 11, 2012 3:12 pm.

This article is more than 5 years old.

Smoldering ashes from a wood burning fireplace sparked a massive grass fire in Fort MacLeod last week.

RCMP say the ashes, thought to be dead, were left in a metal container and placed in a shed. The strong wind ripped off the roof of that building and spread the ashes, igniting a fire when it landed in nearby grass.

Negligence charges will not be laid.

The blaze burned a swath of land seven miles long and three quarters of a mile wide. It happened on the same day as a wind-driven wild fire destroyed several homes and out buildings near Nanton.

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