It just takes a spark.
And whether it comes from a bullet, or an ATV, a catalytic converter, cigarette butt or a campfire, doesn’t matter.
Because when you’re playing with fire in a giant tinderbox, the end result is usually disastrous.
Granted, it takes a little bit of common sense and more than a bit of consideration not to start a wildfire in someone’s backyard, but everyone just know that. Yet, every year at the same time the residents of the Echo Lake area in the eastern part of Westlock County are worried for their homes as fires in the area rage like clockwork.
The 250-hectare wildfire that torched the area May 12-13 is just the latest in a series that have threatened area residents for years.
While the cause is still under investigation, the likely culprit, as it has been in previous years, is shooting.
Residents are fed up and rightly so. They’ve petitioned the county for something to be done, but they maintain they can’t do anything on Crown land. So maybe it’s time for the province to do something again. Maybe it needs to be locked down during the spring. It seemed to work last time.
We can hear the complaints already.
If something were legislated by either level of government, we’d never hear the end of the arguments that the big, bad government overstepped its bounds once again and was trying to take their guns away.
But why should people have to live in fear for their homes all the time?
Is it really that big of a sacrifice not to shoot in certain areas during certain times of the year?
Why does it have to be legislated in the first place? It’s a hobby isn’t it? It’s comparable to stamp collecting, is it not?
The government wouldn’t have to step in if people took personal responsibility for their actions. As was mentioned earlier it takes both common sense and consideration, but unfortunately both seem to be in short supply.
We’re just glad the fire is out and no one’s home is at further risk, until the next time at least.
