Article content
Banff National Park was put under a fire ban, effective on July 20, due to elevated fire risks across the region.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser. Banff on high fire alert in extreme risk category Back to video
Silvio Adamo, the Town of Banff’s fire chief and director of emergency management, said the fire hazard conditions are categorized as extreme.
“We are still in extreme fire hazard and anticipate this to continue without significant precipitation. There is very dry ground cover, grasses, branches, foliage and logs, and no significant rain forecasted, make the area very susceptible to rapidly spreading fire.”
CALGARY Emergency crews continue to fight multiple wildfires in southwest Alberta, including one over 100 hectares in size near Rocky Mountain House. Wildfire information officer Derrick Forsythe says the battle is getting bigger as the weather stays hot and dry. As of this morning, we ve got four helicopters on the way, 24 firefighters and the air tankers are making an assessment as to whether they can drop water on it with all the smoke that s up there, Forsythe said. The fire is just one burning out of control in the area. A nearby wildfire to the west is smaller, but still poses a danger, Forsythe told CTV News.
Article content
Nicola Cherry, an occupational epidemiologist at the university, said in an interview one-in-seven firefighters who fought the wildfire have long-term effects on their lungs. Cherry could not say how long the health problems would be with them.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or Study finds persistent lung damage in firefighters after Fort McMurray wildfire Back to video
“My expectation would be if they were going to get better they would have gotten better by now,” she said. “The balance of probabilities is that those who now have a syndrome that looks a bit like asthma will continue to have those problems.”
Author of the article: Laura Beamish
Publishing date: Jul 19, 2021 • 2 hours ago • 2 minute read • Strathcona County firefighter Jason Biggeman (right) blows into a spirometer to test his lung function in Sherwood Park, Alta. on May 18, 2016. Biggeman was sent to Fort McMurray to fight the Horse River Wildfire. Professor Jeremy Beach of the University of Alberta (left) was part of a team studying the firefighters. Larry Wong/Postmedia Network
Article content
Firefighters heavily exposed to the 2016 Horse River Wildfire have persistent lung damage and more than double the risk of developing asthma compared to the general population, according to a study from the University of Alberta.