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Shelly Mcleod took this picture of the Wednesday fire in Muskoseepi Park from her 11th-floor balcony at Prairie Sunrise Towers (Image Credit: Shelly Mcleod.)
By Curtis Galbraith
Fire

Well-placed fire hydrant in Muskoseepi Park instrumental in fighting a wildfire says GPFD official

May 28, 2026 | 5:28 PM

A Grande Prairie Fire Department official says having a hydrant located near the disc golf course helped keep a fire in Muskoseepi Park from reaching the Canfor log pile. 

The fire started late Wednesday afternoon (May 9) between the log pile and Bear Creek, west of 92 Avenue. 

Fire Marshall Chris Renyk says having a water supply this close to Canfor “was instrumental” in helping crews make a stand against what he called “an incoming and threatening wildfire.” 

“And this isn’t a particular hydrant that is along a roadway, but it was strategically positioned years ago for this very usage.” 

“Sometimes you never know you’re going to need a public water supply until you need it.” 

Renyk adds that “the advantage here is that crews didn’t have to rely on mobile water, by way of tenders, to bring in water to a very difficult area and terrain in order to defend in place a piece of critical infrastructure for the community and the economy.” 

He adds that fire crews go to a lot of residential and brush fires in the spring. 

“The big one that we’ve found that is happening these days as a cause is cigarettes and discarded cigarette materials.” 

“We really want to push that communication out, to remind people to be very smart with what they’re doing with their discarded materials.” 

Renyk says the size of the fire is still being determined, and an active investigation into the cause is underway.

by Curtis Galbraith