Traffic was disrupted on Highway 16 near Paynton Monday as emergency crews worked to extinguish a fire in the village.
According to Maidstone RCMP, an off-duty RCMP member alerted emergency services to the grass fire at about 3:30 p.m. Police say the fire started on the south side of the road and crossed over the highway, causing the highway to be blocked. By 5 p.m. the fire was fully contained by attending fire departments and the highway reopened. The village of Paynton was never believed to be at risk and nobody was evacuated.
A nearby business was at risk from the blaze and approximately 15 scrap vehicles were lost. Two other vehicles sustained damage.
The Maidstone Enhanced Policing Unit will be continuing its investigation into the fire.
The village of Paynton has imposed a partial fire ban. Police remind residents and travellers to be mindful of local fire bans and maintain supervision at all times of any fires that are set.
During the initial response to the fire, two passersby and a local resident from the Rural Municipality of Paynton assisted police and fire departments from Maidstone and Paynton. The Maidstone RCMP would like to thank these three men as their efforts greatly assisted those who were first on scene.
