Crews from Pincher Creek plan for possible fire spread
PINCHER CREEK – Fire crews from Pincher Creek are among those making plans for the possibility that the Kenow fire burning in British Columbia will move across the boundary into Alberta.
A public information meeting is planned for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8 at the Twin Butte Community Hall. David Cox, chief of Pincher Creek Emergency Services, said their response echoes the work of Parks Canada to manage the fire, protect structures, and plan for possible evacuations.
“We’ve been putting up structure protection at Castle resort, and other values at risk that we have within the forest protection area,” Cox said Friday, “as well as planning in the event that the fire does get into Alberta and is coming into either those embedded urban interface communities or actually makes its way all the way out of the forest protection area into the ranchland to the east.”
He said at this point a spread of the fire wouldn’t directly impact many people, since most of the structures are vacation properties or second homes, and many people left with the closure of the forest area.