Parks Canada defends prescribed burn as containment work continues on Banff fire

Parks Canada fire crews are continuing containment work on a prescribed burn that grew out of control Wednesday, after winds unexpectedly picked up and changed direction. 

"This morning, there's very limited fire behaviour, no open flame that was visible from the road," said Jane Park, incident commander for the Compound Meadows prescribed fire, at a news briefing Thursday.

"But our crews will continue to assess and focus on the hot spots to prevent any further growth on the fire."

Parks Canada had started ignition work Wednesday morning at the Compound Meadow near the Banff townsite, an area sandwiched between the Trans-Canada Highway, Banff Avenue and Compound Road. The intent of the burn was to reduce the amount of pine and spruce trees in the area, stimulate aspen and grass growth and restore wildlife habitat, according to the federal agency's website. 

By around 4 p.m., the wind had unexpectedly picked up from 10 km/h to about 28 km/h, Park said. That caused the fire to spot across the road to the east side of Banff Avenue, outside of the prescribed burn area.  

Smoke and flames were visible from the highway and from the town of Canmore, about 20 kilometres away. The nearby Rocky Mountain Resort and Mount View Barbecue were evacuated as a precaution, and some horses were removed from corrals owned by the Banff Light Horse Association, Park said. 

By about 10:30 p.m., the fire was downgraded from "out of control" to "being held," thanks to ground crews, helicopter bucketing and a timely evening rainfall, Parks Canada posted on Twitter. 

The barbecue and resort have since been allowed to resume their normal operations, Park said.

Why the burn went ahead

Asked Thursday about why officials decided to go ahead with the prescribed burn, given the dry conditions and wildfires burning in other parts of the province, Park said these burns have to happen under very specific conditions, which had been met up until there was an unforecast change in wind speed and direction. 

"That's why we have so many resources on hand, in the event that there is an unexpected change in the forecast," said Park, who is also fire and vegetation specialist with the Banff Field Unit. "We were prepared for unexpected changes — it was a little faster than anticipated, but we have to conduct our prescribed fires when the conditions are ready to meet our ecological objectives as well as our objectives to protect the community as well."

Park said they had picked this week in part because of an expected downturn in the weather, with rain and cooler temperatures in the forecast. 

She said the incident speaks to the importance of having prescribed burns in the first place, as it demonstrates how quickly fires can develop and change. 

"These types of prescribed fires, where we already have resources in place, do reduce the risk of larger wildfires that can impact communities," said Park, who noted having plenty of hands on deck, including firefighters who had travelled to Banff to take part in a fire training exchange, helped them get a handle on the fire.

"You could imagine that if we had a wildfire that we were not anticipating, and we did not have resources on hand in the numbers that we did, that the result may have been quite a bit different."

Speaking to media Thursday, the chief of the Banff fire department said he maintains full confidence in Parks Canada.

"I want to emphasize that the Town of Banff is grateful for the efforts of Parks Canada to increase the protection around our community," said Silvio Adamo, whose department provided 16 personnel Wednesday to help fight the fire.

"This work is difficult, it's precise and extremely valuable for our community and our protection against wildfire."

The total area burned Wednesday was 31 hectares — 28 hectares within the prescribed boundary and an additional three hectares outside of it. 

The fire caused some minor damage to the Mountainview Cemetery, and destroyed three tack sheds owned by the Banff Light Horse Association, Adamo said. 

Crews had started fire operations Wednesday by putting up structural protection around important facilities, and by "black lining" in the area: igniting small strips of fire along the wildlife fence to protect it during the main burn. The main burn was scheduled for Friday. 

Asked if Friday's burn is still likely to take place, Park said the crews' focus for now is on containment. 

Park said it's too early to say what might be learned from Wednesday's fire, but that crews do an "after-action" review after every wildfire and prescribed burn as a matter of course. 

"Rest assured that as we move forward in the days to come, we will be looking at all of the operational aspects of the incident and ensuring that we make adjustments where we're required," she said.