Spending the majority of Sunday dealing with 2 large grass fires in and around Moose Jaw, the Moose Jaw Fire Department and Police Service are still investigating what actually caused the fires.

Fire Chief Rod Montgomery says they are hoping for some help from the community. 

Photo of the first fire by the 9th avenue bridge. Courtesy of Corey Atkinson

"Certainly both of them were by a human hand, we don't know whether it was intentional or accidental or just carelessness. We're asking if anyone has any information to contact the police, whether you may have been the person who actually did it or not, we're asking that you call the police. That would be a great help."

Just last week, a few days before the fires, Montgomery stressed how easy it is for grass fires to start and get out of control, saying "Cigarettes or cigarette butts, don't throw them out on the ground or out of the vehicle. Make sure they are properly disposed of."

Chief Montgomery went on to thank everyone for their hard work, saying the crews and community really stepped up. 

"There were a lot of different people that helped out, certainly city police, CP Rail police, and a lot of people that were there and anyone who showed up with a water tanks or front end equipment, and the people manning that equipment really helped us mitigate the situation. So I really want to thank them."

Over 20 members of the Fire Department were on the scene during the fires peak, with additional crews on call from surrounding communities if needed. Chief Montgomery thanked the public works department as well, saying their help was a game changer. 

He went on to stress however, how important it is for residents who want to watch the fires to keep away, saying in tight areas like dirt roads and residential streets, its very easy for things to become congested, and that extra traffic in the area just impedes the departments work and can lead to additional accidents. 

He added that no buildings or barns were effected by the fires, and that just some fences and a stockpile of rail ties were burnt.

For more information on Sundays fires, and to see a photo gallery, you can click here.