Ministry of Environment seeks public help in Rally fire investigation

By Bryan Eneas

While the blaze has died down, investigators are still looking for a specific cause of the so-called Rally wildfire.

Casey Howey, a conservation officer supervisor with the Ministry of Environment, said investigators hope support from the public can help them determine the cause of the wildfire.

Investigators have determined the fire was human-caused, based on the weather conditions at the time and a lack of “other ignition sources.”

“If anybody has anything to add to this, or knows any information about potential cause or starting the fire, that’s what we’re looking for,” Howey said.

The fire burned for weeks, and forced the evacuation of Crutwell on numerous occasions. Holbien was also placed under an evacuation alert because of the fire.

While an ATV rally was taking place in the area in roughly the same time period as when the wildfire started, Howey noted there is no conclusive evidence which directly links the two events. He said there were many people in the area at the same time for a variety of different reasons.

As with any investigation, Howey said the ministry collected information from people who were on and off-site, along with information which comes in from the public or other sources to determine the how the fire started.

“Public support is always appreciated, and greatly assists us in any way,” Howey said.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact 1-800-667-7561, the ministry’s tip line.