Firefighters who battled a wind-fueled grass fire that spread to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village east of Edmonton managed to save the historic structures at the open-air museum, but provincial officials say the visitor centre buildings were lost.
Alberta Arts, Culture and Status of Women Minister Tanya Fir, as well as MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, whose constituency takes in the village, say in a statement that the visitor centre buildings “housed many irreplaceable artifacts that told the stories of generations of Ukrainian Albertans.”
They call it a profound loss, not only for the Ukrainian community, but for “all Albertans who value and honour (the) province’s diverse cultural heritage.”
The fire on Friday evening temporarily closed Highway 16, a major east-west corridor through the province, and also prompted some evacuations of homes north of the highway before the flames could be brought under control.
The cultural village is currently closed for the season and was to reopen in May.
Fir and Armstrong-Homeniuk say in their statement the government is committed to reopening the site when it is safe and appropriate to do so.
“To the community that holds this place close to heart, please know that we share in your grief, and we recognize the cultural importance of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village to the Ukrainian Albertan community and all Albertans,” their statement said.
“We will provide more information as it becomes available in the coming weeks.”
According to its website, the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village Society was founded in 1971, and it bought the site and began relocating buildings there from farms and towns of east central Alberta.
The province acquired it in 1975, and the 40 buildings there have been restored and furnished to their early 20th century appearance to commemorate the settlement of east central Alberta by Ukrainians.
The Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies thanked first responders who fought the blaze, not only in the village, but also on adjoining lands and Elk Island National Park.
“The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village has stood for decades as a beautiful and much-beloved centre educating on and celebrating the contributions of Ukrainians to prairie Canada,” the institute said in a social media post.
“Having such a historic jewel like the Village right in our backyard makes any sort of loss feel that much more heartbreaking.”
A fire restriction went into effect on Thursday in Lamont County, where the village is located, which prohibited all uncontained burning. It said the move was due to continued dry conditions, lack of precipitation and wind speeds.
Officials with Alberta Wildfire have said the wildfire risk in a number of forest management areas has been elevated due to warmer temperatures and wind.
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