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Human-caused wildfire near Canmore ‘being held,’ crews keeping watch over hot spots

A wildfire burning just off Highway 1 east of Canmore is no longer out of control. Alberta Wildfire officials say it is now being held. As Lauren Pullen reports, investigators have now confirmed it was a human-caused blaze – Aug 14, 2021

Fire crews have managed to get a handle on the wildfire burning just outside of Canmore.

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The fire near Dead Man’s Flats is now considered “being held,” which means it’s not expected to grow.

The fire, which broke out just before 5 p.m. Aug. 13, burned 10 hectares of land within two hours and was classified as out of control.

The Trans-Canada was shut down in both directions for several hours Friday evening but has since reopened.

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The fire is now about six hectares.

Investigators confirm it was caused by humans but aren’t sure what exactly sparked it at this point.

Crews remain on scene, extinguishing hot spots with the help of helicopters.

“Strong winds blowing from the west at around 40 km/h and gusting up to 60 km/h are forecasted for this afternoon, which could create challenging conditions for our firefighters once we reach peak temperatures for today,” said Josee St-Onge with Alberta Wildfire on Sunday.

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Officials say the wildfire danger in the Calgary Forest Area remains extreme and all Albertans are asked to do their part and respect existing fire bans.

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