The big prairie fire we had in the area the other day really took me ‘back in time’. There seemed to be a lot of fires in the late fifties.
Fires in buildings and homes would get started from a large variety of causes; one home was destroyed because the gas washing machine exploded in the basement.
It was the big grass fires that would really get people worried. These fires could spread so far so very quickly, and burn anything in their path.
In April of 1959 there is a report of a large fire that spread very quickly.

April 9, 1959
“Prairie Fire Cleans Nine Sections N. E. Kirkpatrick Lake
“A prairie fire Saturday afternoon roared over nine sections of land northeast of Kirkpatrick Lake fanned by a high wind.
The fire started near the old Charlie Duer farm now owned by Mr. Geo. McMorris, and was thought to have resulted from youngsters playing with matches.
“Saturday afternoon unfortunately found most of the farmers away from home and this gave the fire a chance to get a good start before an effective number of fighters was able to surround it.
In many cases tractors were not in readiness for plowing fire guards. However sufficient guarding and backfiring was done to check it well before 6 o’clock.
“The fire was confined to Township 34, Range 9, taking most of sections 18, 17, 8 south half of 16, all of 9, 4, part of 15, all of 10, 3. 11 and 2. It covered a cone-shaped area five miles by three miles.
“Much valuable pasture land was lost as well as a few stacks of hay and miles of fence posts.
According to reports it was fortunate that trees and bluffs still had snow and dampness or the fire would have wiped out most of the trees.
“There was apparently no livestock or buildings lost.”

Strangely enough there are not many reports of these large prairie fires burning out homes; but they would burn out crops and fields of hay that were needed for winter feed.

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