The City is planning another series of prescribed burns to help protect against wildfire as another heatwave sweeps Cranbrook and area.
Three separate burns are scheduled in September, weather permitting, at various sites that the fire department has considered to be high-priority, including land near Moir Park, Phillips Reservoir and the Canadian Rockies International Airport.
Land near the Phillips Reservoir on both sides of the B.C Hydro transmission line will be treated on Monday September, 9. The site was previously logged in two phases, and will be burned collectively for the first time next week.
Crews will be working on a 10-hectare site just west of Airport Access Rd. on Tuesday September, 10. Motorists travelling to and from the airport can expect to see signage and flaggers in the area, but there should be no major disruptions to regular airport operations.
A date has not been set yet for the Moir Park site.
The city harvested and burned land just south of the park near the ball fields a decade ago, but it has been determined there is still elevated risk and another burn is necessary to ensure long-term safety. There is a significant population of unhoused people living near Moir Park and Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services plans to work closely with a social development coordinator to provide support to them while the burn is happening.
Additionally, the city is currently updating its Community Wildfire Resilience Plan and will reach out to residents for their feedback and thoughts on community resilience in the near future.
