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Water scarcity hinders firefighters battling grass fire

By: by Geoff Kirbyson

Posted: 04/26/2012 4:47 PM | Comments: 0

Shaftesbury Boulevard is closed to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic between Grant and Wilkes avenues Thursday afternoon as firefighters battle a grass fire in the Assiniboine Forest. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store

A fire in a south end urban forest is proving problematic for firefighters.

Not because of the intensity of the sporadic flames -- they're no more than a couple of feet high -- but their location south and west of Grant Avenue and Shaftesbury Boulevard isn't flush with water sources.

"There aren't any fire hydrants in the forest," said one firefighter. "We have to drag hoses a long way."

The fire -- or fires, to be more precise -- started around noon. Eight to 10 fire crews were at the scene by mid-afternoon. One firefighter carried brooms into the forest, presumably to beat down the flames in the brush.

"It's fairly extensive. (The fires) run to the walking path (behind Canadian Mennonite University) and the pathway south," said the firefighter, as he sat in a fold-out chair soaking his forearms in cold water to cool down.

Traffic on Shaftesbury south of Grant has been closed to traffic because of the fire hoses across the road.

Candice Braun and Emily Mogourian, both 17 and in Grade 11 at Shaftesbury High School, sat on the curb and watched the firefighters work.

"It's like watching the fire log on TV at Christmas time," Braun said. "I could watch that for hours."

Mogourian said they had planned to go home after their last class.

"But then we saw the fire and we wanted to see what was happening," she said.

Shelley Lindquist, who was out walking her dog, Abby, said she hoped the fire could be put out quickly to minimize the damage.

"I hate to see this because a lot of people use this forest for walking their dogs or jogging and there are tons of cyclists," she said.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

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