Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away: Mother Nature Slowing Fire In Jasper National Park

The Canadian Press, 11 Jul, 2015 01:44 PM
    JASPER, Alta. — Rain has helped to slow a fire that forced the evacuation of 1,000 tourists and outdoor enthusiasts from the popular Maligne Valley in Alberta's Jasper National Park.
     
    Parks Canada spokeswoman Kim Weir says between four and six millimetres fell overnight and more rain is in the forecast.
     
    She says the 50-square-kilometre blaze hasn't grown and isn't expected to if weather conditions hold.
     
    Weir says crews are now able to get on the ground and attack the flames directly.
     
    Lightning is believed to have sparked the fire on Thursday.
     
    Weir says no facilities are threatened by the fire and the Jasper townsite is safe.
     
    The Maligne Valley remains closed and a fire ban has been extended to all mountain parks to include Banff, Yoho, Revelstoke, Glacier and Kootenay.
     
    Maligne Lake itself and its iconic Spirit Island, a tiny clutch of trees surrounded by a ring of majestic mountains, three glaciers and pristine blue water, are 15 kilometres away from the blaze.
     
    In addition, the Jasper townsite was considered a safe distance away, although Weir noted that the region was under a heavy blanket of smoke.
     
    She said while the rest of Jasper National Park is still open for business, she warned tourists headed for the park to be mindful of the significant smoke issues in case they are a concern for people with health conditions.
     
    Weir said the plan of attack is to monitor the fire's behaviour and if necessary, create containment lines where blazes would be deliberately set to impede its ability to spread; what Weir called "fighting fire with fire."
     
    "Buckets of water from a helicopter aren't going to do a whole lot," she said. "If need be, we have helicopters that can bucket little parts of the fire and we can call in air tankers as well. However, the fire is large enough and in complex-enough terrain that ... we cannot get people on the ground as of yet."
     
    Parks Canada crews were fighting the fire on Thursday and Friday, and another 40 firefighters from Manitoba were expected to arrive on the weekend.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Police Charge Man With Aggravated Assault In Stabbing At Calgary Stampede Midway

    Police Charge Man With Aggravated Assault In Stabbing At Calgary Stampede Midway
    CALGARY — A man has been charged in the stabbing of two people at the midway of the Calgary Stampede earlier this week.

    Police Charge Man With Aggravated Assault In Stabbing At Calgary Stampede Midway

    Indian-Origin Man Manmeet Singh Bhatia Charged With Robbery In US

    Indian-Origin Man Manmeet Singh Bhatia Charged With Robbery In US
    Manmeet Singh Bhatia and an accomplice, Marc Conrad Kammerman, allegedly held up Check City, which makes loans and cashes checks, and The Smoke Shop, a barbecue restaurant, in Salt Lake City in May.

    Indian-Origin Man Manmeet Singh Bhatia Charged With Robbery In US

    Mohamed Ibrahim Sail, 2nd Suspect In Cellphone Murder Case Turns Self In To London Police

    Mohamed Ibrahim Sail, 2nd Suspect In Cellphone Murder Case Turns Self In To London Police
    LONDON, Ont. — A second suspect in the shooting death of 18-year old Jeremy Cook has turned himself in to police in London, Ont.

    Mohamed Ibrahim Sail, 2nd Suspect In Cellphone Murder Case Turns Self In To London Police

    Ontario Fire Ranger Crew Help Fight Blaze On Boulder Creek In B.C.

    Ontario Fire Ranger Crew Help Fight Blaze On Boulder Creek In B.C.
    Burning trees, thick smoke and extreme heat are all part of the job for a group of Ontario firefighters battling a massive blaze in a devastated swath of forest in central British Columbia.

    Ontario Fire Ranger Crew Help Fight Blaze On Boulder Creek In B.C.

    Let The Games Begin: Thousands Gather For Pan Am Games Opening Ceremony

    Let The Games Begin: Thousands Gather For Pan Am Games Opening Ceremony
    Hordes of people carrying — and often wearing — flags from more than a dozen countries packed into the Rogers Centre, temporarily renamed the Pan Am Ceremonies Venue, for the sold-out show.

    Let The Games Begin: Thousands Gather For Pan Am Games Opening Ceremony

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces expansion of Rouge National Urban Park

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces expansion of Rouge National Urban Park
    PICKERING, Ont. — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the federal government will more than double its initial contribution to Rouge National Urban Park.

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces expansion of Rouge National Urban Park

    PrevNext