Alberta’s Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village visitor buildings lost to grass fire
Posted April 19, 2025 9:21 am.
Last Updated April 20, 2025 10:05 am.
After a devastating grass fire spread to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village east of Edmonton Friday, the Alberta government revealed that the Visitor Centre buildings were lost.
Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, Tanya Fir, and MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk said Saturday that despite the loss, they were grateful to the first responders for saving the historical buildings on site.
“These buildings included exhibit spaces and housed many irreplaceable artifacts that told the stories of generations of Ukrainian Albertans,” their joint statement reads.
“This is a profound loss—not only for the Ukrainian community, but for all Albertans who value and honour our province’s diverse cultural heritage.”
Fort Saskatchewan RCMP say calls came in Friday around 5:30 p.m. for the fire east of Elk Island National Park behind the village, about 25 minutes east of Edmonton. Mounties closed Highway 16 between the park’s entrance and Range Road 194 in both directions.
Evacuations ordered for residences along Range Road 195 north of Highway 16 have been halted, and the highway has reopened.
The fire was declared under control late Friday. RCMP say firefighters will still be “fighting what is left of the fires,” and ask the public to avoid the area.
An Alberta Emergency Alert sent at 8:24 p.m. that warned residents and travellers to avoid the area and prepare to evacuate if advised by RCMP was cancelled about 30 minutes later, saying the fire has been contained.
No details on the cause or the extent of the damage to the village have been shared.
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A video captured by David Czerwinski shared on social media shows smoke covering their path while driving on the road, and a black plume of smoke emanating from the village.
The site was closed for the season and was expected to open for Victoria Day. The Alberta government says more information about its reopening, once it’s safe, will be available in the coming weeks.
The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, founded in 1971, features 40 restored buildings commemorating the Ukrainian settlement of east central Alberta.
According to the village site, the Alberta government acquired it in 1975, and maintains a theme of “Early Ukrainian Settlement in East Central Alberta to 1930.”
Officials with Alberta Wildfire say the wildfire risk in several forest management areas has been elevated due to warmer temperatures and wind.
Fire crews also extinguished a grass fire near the Banff townsite west of Vermilion Lakes Friday afternoon. Parks Canada believes that one was human-caused, potentially by a cigarette.
There are 19 active wildfires, according to the Alberta Wildfire Status dashboard, with one out of control in the Grande Prairie Forest Area.
