Flames burned through dry grass beside Hwy. 417 in the west end
Posted May 29, 2026 01:33:03 PM.
Last Updated May 29, 2026 01:37:23 PM.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and firefighters arrived at the eastbound lanes of Highway 417 to see several areas in flames on Thursday.
The calls told crews that the fire was in the median and on the shoulder of the road in two separate areas. Flames were seen near the Castlefrank Road ramp and the other fire located between Eagleson Road and Moodie Drive — several kilometres away.
Ottawa Fire Service Chief, Paul Hutt, told CityNews, that with the locations of the fires it is unlikely they spread from one to another.
“Our hypothesis right now is that there was some kind of a mechanical failure on a vehicle,” he said. “That could have been lighting off sparks or disbursing sparks that caught the tinder dryness of the grass along the side of the highway.”
He said this is the working theory because if it had been a discarded cigarette out a window —something the OPP are reminding drivers to avoid doing — there would be multiple points of ignition “extremely close,” but that was not the case on Thursday.
Chief Hutt said that although incidents like these are not uncommon, crews usually see them along railway tracks where spot fires happen. Firefighters were able to get the flames under control quickly, but where they were created dangers for the teams.
“This is unique in the fact that we’re on a 400 series highway with lots of moving vehicles,” he said. “Just a reminder to everybody as well, if they do see emergency vehicles on the highway, to make sure to pull over and give them adequate space.”
