Municipal District of Pincher Creek
Wildfire Update
September 18, 2017
1445 hrs
Mandatory Evacuation Order Rescinded:
– The mandatory evacuation order for South of Oil Basin Road to the Waterton Park Boundary has been rescinded.
– Highway 6 is now open.
– There is no access to Waterton Park.
– Fire operations are still ongoing, as some deep ground fires are still active. Residents in the area are reminded to remain vigilant and watch for vehicles.
– Watch for smoke in the area due to these fires.
– Sprinkler suppression will continue in this area.
– Watch for animals on the road.
Re-Entry:
– Re-Entry information packages are available for residents returning to their homes. These packages are available at the Administration Building and on our website.
– Wildlife in the area has been impacted by this fire; residents should remain vigilant to their presence.
– Residents are reminded to retain all information regarding the evacuation, including receipts, inventory lists of possessions and other important information. This will likely be beneficial when processing insurance claims.
Kenow Fire Update:
– Within the South Portion of the MD:
– Deep ground fires remain active.
– Ground crews continue to suppress these fires and monitor for hot spots.
– Within the Castle Area:
– Due to more accurate assessment and measurements, the total size of this fire is 38,100 hectares. The size within the Castle Area is stated as 221 hectares.
– This fire is still classified as out of control.
– A dozer guard is in place.
– It remains 23 km from Castle Mountain Resort and 30 km from Beaver Mines.
Local State of Emergency:
– The local state of emergency for Division 1 will expire at 2352hrs, tonight September 18, 2017.
– The local state of emergency for the entire MD will expire at 0807hrs, tomorrow, September 19, 2017.
– These will not be renewed.