‘Fire came at us furiously and fast:’ Crowsnest Pass mayor thankful no lives were lost

By Sarah Rieger
CBC News
October 19, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Five helicopters and 43 firefighters are working to fully contain a wildfire near Coleman, about 230 kilometres southwest of Calgary. The province lifted the final evacuation orders for the Crowsnest Pass region Thursday morning, allowing all residents to return to their homes. The local state of emergency for the area was cancelled Thursday evening. The fire is now classified as being held. Highway 3 has been reopened, but the province is warning motorists to proceed with caution while driving through the area.  Evacuees are being asked to obtain re-entry information packages from the municipal office before returning home and are asked to avoid the area if possible to allow fire crews to continue working. …Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter told CBC News that while the past few days have been stressful, he’s grateful the municipality had no casualties and no homes were lost.

Read More