Canada- Forest Fires

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Forest fires keep residents away from homes in Alta., Man.
communities
By The Canadian Press
The first evacuation of the forest fire season took place in
Manitoba on Tuesday while in northern Alberta an out-of-control
blaze consumed nearly 1,000 square kilometres.
In Manitoba, 25 residents of Powell were evacuated and 150
residents of nearby Barrows were on emergency alert Tuesday night
as a fire raged out of control at Red Deer Lake.
A state of emergency was declared in Barrows as residents waited
to hear whether they would be ordered to relocate to Hudson Bay,
Sask.
"Until we get a change in the weather conditions, there's still
the potential for it to go in any direction," said Bob Buck,
superintendent of Manitoba Conservation's fire program.
A ground crew of about 40 provincial firefighters were working
to control the 34-square-kilometre blaze, along with helicopters,
air tankers, and two pumpers manned by officers from Winnipeg's
paramedic service.
Powell is about 500 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, near the
Saskatchewan boundary.
By Tuesday morning, there were 19 forest fires burning
throughout Manitoba. There were no reports of injuries.
In Alberta, an estimated 1,200 people remain evacuated from
camps and a small community near the massive House River fire.
Alberta wildfire spokesman Rick Strickland said it is still too
dangerous for the 250 residents of Conklin, Alta. to return to
their homes.
The fire was 16 kilometres away from the community, but still
threatening.
The residents had been ordered out Monday along with an
estimated 1,000 workers from 10 industrial camps and lodges
scattered throughout the area.
The northern Alberta fire is long and thin, stretching 75 to 80
kilometres. One finger got within 16 kilometres of Conklin while
the other was within 18 kilometres of the community.
The residents travelled by bus to a school in the oilsands city
of Fort McMurray, 125 kilometres to the north.
The effort to feed and house the evacuees was running smoothly
Tuesday and the mood of evacuees was good, said Angela McGonigal,
spokeswoman for the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo.
"It's going very well," McGonigal said. "The residents are
being very patient and accommodating.
"They seem to be very relaxed. Kids are playing outside in the
school park."
People in Conklin are used to pulling out fast ahead of smoke
and flames. The hamlet was evacuated in 1995 when a forest fire
threatened.
Emergency officials could only estimate the number of people in
the work camps who were evacuated from their job sites in the
region this week.
The employees of various companies operating in the area - oil
and gas companies, forestry operations, camp caterers and lodges -
have been sent home.
The Alberta blaze, dubbed the House River fire, also threatened
nearby Mariana Lake, an outpost on Highway 63, consisting of a gas
station and lodge. People there were told to be prepared to leave
at a moment's notice and a bus was ready to get them out of harm's
way if necessary.
On Tuesday, the temperature in the forest fire area was 25 C and
winds were blowing out of the southeast at "acceptable" 20
kilometres an hour, said Strickland.
Rain was expected, but not enough to make a big difference.
Officials are concerned that strong, westerly winds expected
Thursday will drive the House River fire closer to Conklin.
Another major concern is that lightning expected Tuesday and
Wednesday might spark new fires.
An army of firefighters and equipment costing $1 million a day
have been fighting the blaze.
Nearly 900 firefighters, 45 helicopters, eight water bombers and
75 bulldozers are at work.
MORE

(Copyright 6248 by The Associated Press.

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CONKLIN, Alta. (CP) - Shifting winds were expected to be key
Wednesday in the war nearly 1,000 firefighters are waging against a
gargantuan forest fire that is threatening three northeastern
Alberta communities.
"This wind shift could put Conklin back in the teeth of the
fire," said Rick Strickland, Alberta wildfire information
officer.
"This will be a test day for our preparations in Conklin."
The hamlet's 250 residents left last week, and since then
firefighters have set up an arsenal of weapons to protect their
homes and buildings.
Water hoses snake throughout the streets and sprinklers have
been pouring a million litres of water a day on the buildings.
Fireguards have been dug all around the hamlet.
The House River fire, at 2,600 square kilometres, is more than
three times the size of Edmonton. Janvier and Chard, two other
communities northwest of Conklin, are also in the path of the fire,
but winds could shift the flames away from them.
About 100 people, mostly elderly or with respiratory problems,
left the two hamlets Tuesday for an evacuation centre in Fort
McMurray. Five hundred others were put on evacuation alert, which
means they must leave their homes and belongings on short notice.
Thirty-six fires were burning in Alberta on Wednesday, and the
number deemed out of control rose to 11 from three.
"With these new fires and gusting winds, there could be a lot
of problems," Strickland said.
Further south, 25 soldiers were helping snuff the remains of a
brush fire at Redwater. That fire destroyed four homes and forced
20 families to leave their homes for a week.
The families were allowed to return Monday night but remained on
evacuation alert. Redwater is 80 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.
In northern Saskatchewan, air traffic was so thick with
firefighting aircraft that the province asked private pilots to
stay away.
"There is a serious risk of collision as well hampering the
work of firefighting," said Bob Spracklin, aviation manager for
the Provincial Fire Centre in Prince Albert, Sask.
Firefighting aircraft have reported a number of encounters with
small aircraft in the area, he said.
"It's the more inquisitive private pilot that's probably out
just to have a sightseeing look and wants to take a look at what a
fire looks like . . . (and) may not be aware they're not supposed
to be flying low or that close to a forest fire area," Spracklin
said.
With 51 helicopters and 21 tanker aircraft currently fighting
blazes in the province, the airspace is crowded, said Malcolm
McLeod of Saskatchewan Environment.
On Wednesday, there were 48 forest fires burning in
Saskatchewan, four out of control.
McLeod said troublesome fires were at Tobin Lake, Turtle Lake,
Loon Lake and Dore Lake.
"We've had several days of light winds here, which has been a
real blessing," McLeod said.
"Even though we've had no rainfall, the wind has stayed down
and driven these fires," he said "It's allowed us on all four of
these fires to start putting Cat lines around the fires, and we're
making good progress."
In Manitoba, 14 forest fires were burning Wednesday, one out of
control, but none posed a threat to any community.
Cooler temperatures have helped firefighters, said Bob Buck of
Manitoba Conservation.
"We've managed to get on the fires as they've started, so we've
been fortunate that way," he said.

(Copyright 2827 by The Associated Press.