Fire sparks in southeast Calgary park hours after grass fire contained at McHugh Bluff

A grass fire burning in the McHugh Bluffarea of Calgary was put out after creeping dangerously close to nearby homes overlooking downtown.

At 2:30 p.m. Monday, the Calgary Fire Department responded to calls from residents who were concerned as the flames approached their houses.

More than a dozen fire vehicleswere dispatched to the area north of downtown. Firefighters were working through the afternoon to control the blaze near 5A Street and Ninth Avenue N.W.

"The fire is on quite a steep hill, and so it definitely created some challenges," said Carol Henke, public information officer with the fire department.

"We have quite a few apparatus here to fight the fire."

Henke said the blaze had been contained and was prevented from damaging any structures. No injuries were reported.

Crews were putting out hot spots and were using thermal imaging cameras to find other areas that might be hidden or covered by brush.

It's unclear how the blaze started, buta fire investigator was on scene Monday to look at possible causes.

Park evacuated after another fire

Hours after the fire at McHugh Bluff, crews were busy battling a separate blaze near Harvie Passage at Pearce Estate Park.

Calgary police evacuatedthe park and managedtraffic around the area while firefighters extinguished the flames.

A man at the scene approached police and admitted to having started the fire by collecting a pile of poplar tree fluff and setting it ablaze.

The 33-year-old man was chargedwith one count of arson.

A fire advisory that was previously in place for the city due to ongoing wildfire riskacross the province was liftedJune 1.

The fire department continues to urge citizens to use caution when using outdoor open flames that includes using barbecues and backyard fire pits and when disposing of smoking materials.