Volunteers used jackets and shovels (above) fighting a prairie fire until a special water pumper from the Provost fire department helped put out this piece of the wide spread blaze in Special Areas near Sounding Lake. Bottom photo shows some of the crocuses that were damaged on Tuesday afternoon. ©Provost News Photos. Print version in May 2 edition of The Provost News. Want to Subscribe to The Provost News? Click here.

Prairie Fire Sweeps Through Prairie Wool
Fire chief Barry Johnstone says that a prairie blaze erupting on Tuesday afternoon, April 24 was one of the biggest in physical area — and hardest fires to fight that he has seen or likely ever will, because of hills and valleys—sweeping across grazing land, 25 miles south of Provost.

Owner of the land, Raymond Worobo of Worobo Farms stopped at The News office the next day and said “I couldn't believe it” referring to the size and speed of the fire that was finally stopped south and east of Sounding Lake in Special Areas.

“That prairie wool burns like gas.”

Worobo and Johnstone both said the fire spread from an oil well.

Worobo added that he thought the fire started around 1:30 p.m. and was pushed by winds towards the north and northwest.

“That prairie wool was feeding 260 cows” and approximately 220 calves he pointed out.

“I don’t know what to do with my cattle (for feed). He was told that someone timed the fire and in 45 minutes it travelled two and one half miles burning his prairie food source for cattle. “What am I going to do?”

He also expressed concern that it would take a long time for the prairie wool to re-grow to the extent it had been before the blaze.

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