Water bombers attack brush fire burning east of Canmore
A brush fire burning west of Calgary made driving tricky Friday as first responders battled the blaze on the ground and by air.
The fire erupted over supper hour, near Lac des Arcs east of Canmore, sending smoke into the eastbound lanes of Hwy. 1.
Several first responders including Alberta Forestry attacked the fire which grew to over an acre, with planes and helicopters.
A number of travelers turned off Hwy. 1 onto 1A in order to avoid the smoke, and ended up watching in awe as firefighters tried to put the blaze out.
"They were hitting it very hard," said Callandra Caufield who was returning from a B.C. vacation that she described as 'essentially a fire-dodging trip'.
"The water bomber went through three, maybe four and when he left, there were two helicopters (that) came in and started to dump buckets on the fire."
"It's a big fire," she added. "On the ridge it's crawling up, it's a bare rock ridge, so hopefully that's going to slow it down but the wind is heavy. The wind is blowing very hard from west to east, driving towards Camp Chief Hector…so hopefully they can get it under control."
According to the Alberta Wildfire Status map, there are two out of control wildfires burning in central and southern Alberta. One is on the northern edge of Banff National Park and the other is near Rocky Mountain House.
According to the Alberta Wildfire Status map, there are two out of control wildfires burning in central and southern Alberta. One is on the northern edge of Banff National Park and the other is near Rocky Mountain House.
There's a fire ban in place for Town of Banff, along with national parks including Banff, Kootenay and Yoho.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Mookie Betts leads Dodgers past Blue Jays 4-2; Toronto drops fifth consecutive game
Mookie Betts went 3 for 5, including a triple and an RBI single, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Saturday.