Grass fire near Acme possibly sparked by careless smoker, fire chief says

A grass fire burning in KneehillCounty near the villageof Acme, Alta,. is now under control.

Firefighters remain at the scene to deal with hot spots, but the threat to nearby acreageshas passed.

Acme's fire Chief Brian Fradgley told CBCNews his crews were supported by trucks from nearby Carbon and Linden, with help from local farmers with water tanks.

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AJ Cavasos, who lives in the area, told CBCNews the fire was sparked just west of Acme at Highway 806 and 575.

"I was in my home at the time, and I saw a little puff of smoke and I thought it was just some low clouds blowing by," Cavasos said. "Then I went out on my deck and took another closer look and realized it was coming from the ground."

Fradgleysaid it's too early to determine the cause of the fire, but preliminary investigation has led them to believe the fire is the result of careless disposal of a smoking material.

He'sadvising people travelling through the area to keep moving, as he saw a few close calls for vehicles that stopped to take pictures of the fire.