Historical buildings spared from wildfire that reached Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

A Friday wildfire east of Edmonton destroyed or damaged several buildings in the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village — none of which were historical structures.

The fire near Elk Island National Park jumped Highway 16, and closed the thoroughfare to traffic for several hours. This prompted five households to evacuate out of precaution. But firefighters got the flames under control before they neared those homes, an Alberta RCMP spokesperson told CBC News.

Mounties have not yet confirmed the extent of the damage. But Jay Zaal, a spokesperson for Lamont County, where the village is located, told CBC News that four structures were impacted, including the village's visitor centre.

Photos shared by RCMP on Friday show significant damage to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. One building pictured had been reduced to rubble.

The village — an open-air museum depicting life of early settlers and Ukrainian culture — contains dozens of historic buildings, all of which firefighters were able to protect. But some administrative and operational buildings "were lost," Zaal said.

Lamont County Emergency Services responded to the fire around 4 p.m. Friday and called in mutual aid from the Strathcona County, Zaal said. Devin Capcara, deputy chief of planning and projects for Strathcona County Emergency Services, confirmed "several crews" were sent to the scene.

An Alberta Wildfire spokesperson told CBC News that the fire fell outside the provincial forest protection area, and the regional firefighting agencies did not request help from the agency.

Although, according to the RCMP spokesperson, some local farmers used their equipment to help douse the flames once they jumped the highway.

RCMP issued an update around 9:45 p.m., saying the fire was deemed under control. The evacuation order was lifted and the highway re-opened to traffic in both directions.

Dry weather and heavy winds factored into the hours-long fire fight, Zaal said, adding that the conditions forced air support to stay grounded. 

An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News around 10 p.m. Friday that it was unclear if the evacuated residents had returned to their homes.

In a late-night statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Alberta Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir thanked first responders for their efforts, noting no village staff were onsite and no injuries were reported. 

She said more information will be shared this weekend.

On Saturday morning, crews were still monitoring hot spots in the village and grasslands where the fire started, Zaal said in an email at 8:20 a.m.