St. Mary’s Indian Band’s aqam Community does tactical evacuations because of the St. Mary’s River fire
On Monday, flights were canceled because of a wildfire just east of the Canadian Rockies International Airport in Cranbrook, B.C. Some members of the local First Nation were also evacuated.
As of 7 p.m. PT, the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the St. Mary’s River wildfire is probably caused by downed power lines in the area. The fire is estimated to be burning over an area of one kilometer square.
Joe Pierre, the chief of the St. Mary’s Indian Band, said that it caused about 50 homes in the aqam Community to be evacuated on Monday evening.
“We had a very, very windy day here today,” Pierre told CBC’s guest host Brady Strachan.Radio West. “Just before I got the call that there was a fire, about 10 minutes ago, I heard that some power lines had fallen.”
Pierre said that the area was so dry and the winds were blowing hard, which helped the fire spread and caused some people to be told to leave.
He said, “It has a big effect on what we call the lower end of the reserve.” “The St. Mary’s River is between the fire and the City of Cranbrook.
“Then, going north of that, there are a few farms and other things, but we don’t have any immediate worries about the City of Cranbrook or Kimberley.”
The BCWS says that crews in the area are having trouble with the strong winds. They are getting help from helicopters and air tankers.
Pierre says that people in Cranbrook, a town in southeast B.C. with about 27,000 people, can probably see the fire from their homes.
The city said that flights to and from the airport, which usually goes to Calgary and Vancouver and served just under 38,000 people in the last quarter of 2022, would be canceled until further notice.
A tweet from the city says, “If you are traveling today, please call your airline for more information.”