All three Hanover fire departments battled a brush fire Wednesday night near Deerwood Bay about four-and-a-half miles southwest of Steinbach. Hanover Fire Chief Paul Wiebe says they got the alarm shortly after 4:00 p.m.

"Grunthal responded and they immediately called Kleefeld to assist. It was a fairly intense fire, deep in the bush, so it was hard to access. There are a lot of homes in the area so, a little later, we also called our crews from New Bothwell to attend. We fought that until shortly after 8:00 last night."

As for the cause, Wiebe says a farmer had pushed some brush into a windrow and lit a fire, then the wind picked up and it got away. He reminds people that even when there is not a burning ban in place, there are strict rules for fires.

"We don't have a ban on right now. If things continue this way, we will be putting the ban back in place. However, we still have a lot of rules in place regarding burning even without a ban. The biggest thing is the wind speed. Winds have to be below 32 kilometres per hour and you have to take precautions to not have the fire spread and if the fire spreads, to be able to contain it."

Wiebe says they are investigating whether the farmer should be charged in connection with the fire Wednesday.