Jacques Bourgeois who is the marketing and communications coordinator at the Harry J. Enns Wetland Discovery Centre at Oak Hammock Marsh told the Selkirk Times it’s likely a lightning strike cause a fire at the marsh at around 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 12.
Bourgeois said the fire was about 300 metres away from the discovery centre and that about 1/4 of the entire wetland and grassland area at the marsh burned in the fire.
“The response time was extremely fast and efficient, we had about a dozen fire trucks from Stonewall, St.Andrews Stony Mountain and Clandeboye within minutes,” said Bourgeois. “Part of our extensive renovation project was to build a new pumphouse which can be connected directly to the fire trucks to refill cisterns.”
Bourgeois is confident the area that burned in the fire will now create a buffer zone, therefore, he is not as concerned about the potential for more fires in this specific area this year.
