WINNIPEG -- Several structures have been destroyed after a grass fire was sparked Wednesday just west of Lorette, Man.
Allan Rau, the fire chief for the RM of Tache, said it's believed the fire was started by a cigarette.
"The initial call came in as a grass fire, but as I was the first vehicle coming on scene, I noticed a lot of black smoke and knew that quickly escalated to a structure fire," said Rau.
He added, strong winds caused the fire to move west, engulfing a few more buildings including a garage.
Rau said crews focused on protecting one home near the fire and they were able to prevent it from suffering any damage.
No one was injured during the blaze and there are no damage estimates yet.
Rau is reminding people that during these dry conditions, it is very easy for a fire to start.
"This is all tall grass here, and a little bit of a spark, the wind that we got going and the dryness; it was just a recipe for it to go up quickly and it did."
