DUNMORE, AB — Cypress County council has voted to declare the Hilda wildfire a disaster.
All councillors voted to support the declaration during its meeting Tuesday morning. The declaration was a recommendation brought forward to council by the Hilda Fire Recovery Assistance Committee.
The fire on October 17 burned through nearly 46,000 hectares of land near Hilda and Schuler, and crossed into Saskatchewan due to high winds. It also resulted in the loss of more than 190 head of cattle in the county.
According to the document in the agenda, Doug Henderson, the Chief Administrative Officer for the county, said there is no legal requirement to declare the fire a disaster to access funding, noting the declaration would provide greater publicity.
The county has previously voted to refund property taxes to affected landowners, which totals $11,866.
The county has also paid $16,136 to help dispose of cattle killed by the fire.
Last month, the province revealed the fire was caused by a burning pit, which had been used under a fire permit issued by the county on October 13. The fire was believed to have been extinguished, but high winds caused it to flare up again four days later. The county is awaiting the final report on the fire’s cause by the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
To date, there has been no announcement from the province about financial release for those affected.
