The start of spring 2012 will be remembered for more than record-setting temperatures in Cape Breton, where officials say there have been a record number of grass fires.
"In the total municipality in the last three days, we have been in excess of 150 grass fires," says Deputy Fire Chief Brent Denny.
One of the hardest hit communities is Whitney Pier, where 15 grass fires occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight Wednesday.
Most of the fires were extinguished quickly but area residents say they are concerned the fires ignited so close to several homes.
Margie Carmichael lives just down the street from where one fire started yesterday.
"It's kind of scary. Our house is close by," she says. "They just don't start up there away from the houses. They start here in the fields. You can see them starting in the night."
Fire crews say conditions for grass fires this spring are the equivalent of the ‘perfect storm.' There is no frost on the ground, it has been windy and the grass and brush are dry.
To combat the outbreaks, the Cape Breton Regional Fire Service is adding quick response fire trucks to its fleet. There are now 10 quad cabs ready to go, equipped with hoses, water tanks and pumps.
"They help us get an early jump on the grass fires before they get too far into the fields, or too far off the road," says Denny.
Denny also says it's concerning that most of the fires are started deliberately, and he warns that such actions could have dire consequences.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Randy MacDonald
