The Fire Chief for Hanover says no charges will be laid following a grass and brush fire Sunday afternoon.

Paul Wiebe says the Grunthal Fire Department was called out around 3:30 pm to the fire along Road 30 N, just west of Deerwood Bay. That is northeast of Grunthal. The Kleefeld Fire Department was then called in to provide extra manpower. Crews had the fire contained in about an hour.

Wiebe explains the landowner had done a controlled burn a couple of days earlier and Sunday's fire was probably the result of a flare-up.

"He had taken all precautions," says Wiebe. "He'd been doing everything he could to not have this happen, so absolutely no charges would be laid."

Wiebe guesses between 15 and 20 acres burned.

"It's not a significant amount, but there are a lot of residential properties in the area," he says. "So it's good to get a handle on something like that earlier than later."

According to Wiebe, conditions are fairly dry right now. He says it is still pretty green out there but there is a heavy fuel load in the bushes and on some fields.

"We're hoping for a significant amount of rain before fall, which can help ease the fire threat somewhat," he says.

Wiebe notes the memories of fall, 2017 are still very fresh, which ended up being one of their busiest falls in recent years.

"I'm hoping we do not have a repeat of that," he says. "But it's always something we're prepared for."