Grass fire shuts down train traffic near Yellowhead Highway

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said Wednesday night it had deployed four vehicles to an active grass fire near the train tracks at 17 Street NE and 106 Avenue.

The fire started at around 8 p.m. on the west side of 17 Street near the Strathcona Science Park.

A fire official said strong winds fuelled the flames.

Two tankers, a pumper truck and an all-terrain vehicle were being used by firefighters at 9 p.m. to try and prevent the flames from jumping the train tracks towards Edmonton.

On the east side, three Strathcona County crews were also battling the fire.

An Edmonton Fire spokesperson said train traffic in the area was shut down to give firefighters room to work.

Traffic on 17 Street was also shut down for some time because of the smoke causing poor visibility.

As of 10:15 p.m., 17 Street had been re-opened, but fire crews were still on scene dealing with hot spots and a few flareups.