Photo courtesy of Alex McCuaig - Two Hutterite boys pitch in to help battle the Walsh grassfire on Saturday July 27, 2019.

By Scott Roblin, Alex McCuaig

State of Emergency

State of emergency expected to remain for days in Cypress County after grassfires near Walsh, Irvine and Suffield.

Jul 27, 2019 | 5:04 PM

CYPRESS COUNTY, AB – A state of emergency in Cypress County remains in place Sunday following a number of grassfires in the last week including a large fire off the Graburn Road south of Walsh Saturday.

Cypress County officials say the fires are now contained but the risk of subsequent flareups remains extreme with numerous hotspots still smoldering.

Kim Dalton, Cypress County director of emergency management, said the localized state of emergency is expected to remain in place for several days with hot, dry and windy conditions in the forecast.

Photo courtesy of Alex McCuaig – A helicopter pilot dips low into a deep coulee where a grassfire was entrenched on Saturday July 27, 2019.

Dalton said fires which broke out near Walsh and Suffield on Saturday are likely flareups from grassfires earlier this week with the potential for further blazes now substantially increased.

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Dozens, if not hundreds, of firefighters, farmers and ranchers were actively fighting the Graburn Road blaze into Saturday evening with water bombers and water-bucket equiped helicopters providing aerial support.

A second grassfire just outside of Irvine caused the Trans-Canada Highway to be shut down due to intense smoke blanketing the road prior to being knocked down by Cypress County firefighters and volunteers.

While the Irvine fire was brought under control Saturday around the dinner hour, by 9 p.m., the Graburn Road fire was still being tackled.

Heavy winds and tough terrain made for challenging conditions for the Graburn Road fire with firefighters and helicopters focusing on a deep coulee approximately 20 kilometers south of Walsh around 7 p.m.

Volunteers from both Saskatchewan and Alberta were at the scene in the area that straddles the border between the two provinces.

The fire is believed to have started near Range Road 12A and the Graburn Road, south of Township Road 110 and north of Township Road 104. That is near the scene of another grassfire earlier in the week.

Photo courtesy of Alex McCuaig – A couple help douse hot spots along the edge of Graburn Road Saturday evening.

We’ll update this story as more information becomes available.