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Stronger-than-expected winds fanned the fire across Banff Avenue last Wednesday, causing it to grow about three acres beyond the 300-acre control area. It burned down a handful of buildings and sparked several evacuation orders Wednesday night.
“During an incident, Parks Canada’s top priority is to ensure the safety of the public, including both residents and visitors,” Parks Canada said in a press release Saturday night. “Unfortunately, the infrastructure and valuable personal belongings of community members were lost in this incident. Parks Canada would like to extend our sincere condolences to these community members for their loss.”
The Banff Light Horse Association, the organization hardest hit by the fire, is expected to return to the site on Monday. It lost some outbuildings in the fire.
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“Due to ongoing on-site evaluation and repairs, we are asking the public to give space to the Banff Lighthorse Association and workers during ongoing operations,” Parks Canada said.
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Parks Canada says an “after-action review” will be held in the coming weeks to take a look at what happened, lessons learned, and recommendations for future prescribed burns.
Several communities and rural areas have been evacuated in recent days and the number of evacuees has grown to over 24,000.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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