By Brittney Matejka

ATCO Electric sparked October fire in the M.D. of Acadia, but not taking blame.

Nov 6, 2017 | 4:39 PM

ACADIA VALLEY, AB. – The Municipal District of Acadia is still looking for answers following a devastating wildfire on October 17, 2017

A damaged transmission line from ATCO Electric has been determined as the source of the blaze.

ATCO Electric, sent a letter to the M.D. of Acadia last week stating they would not be assuming any responsibility for the damages. High winds are being blamed for the damage to the poles, it was reported the wind speed reached up to 120km/h. This pushed the fire to burn 13,000 acres of farmland; killing 180 head of cattle, destroying farm equipment and one residents home. 

Brent Williams, Chief Administrative Officer for the M.D. of Acadia is disappointed with the brief one page written response sent from ATCO Electric.

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“They had over two weeks to respond to the community and to the M.D. itself, basically they issued 8 bullet points to deal with something that destroyed and affected so many people,” he said.

Williams said they are still waiting for the final fire damage report, it is estimated to be approximately $1.2 million.

“No one is expecting ATCO to show up with a cheque to everyone’s door, it’s much more than that. It’s being a good corporate citizen, recognizing there is a problem, they played a part in and we have to have communication open to address people’s concerns and to address the future,” he explained.

The M.D. of Acadia has since sent a letter back to ATCO Electric asking for more answers.

“We’re hoping they are going to start a conversation with us, not just to make the people in our MD feel better, but to at least start talking to us about the events of October 17th. Why this happened, why the transmission pole failed, the result of their investigation and to figure out how to prevent this from happening again,” he said.

Williams has since reached out to the Alberta Utilities Commission, which regulates ATCO Electric. He is still awaiting a response. The M.D. of Acadia has arranged to meet with the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Municipal Affairs next week in Edmonton, AB.

“We’re hoping this will be one of the areas someone can provide some guidance on,” he said.

The province has not offered any disaster relief to areas affected by the wildfires across southern Alberta.