Parks Canada says fire near Banff, Alta., now held after burning out of control

A prescribed burn near Banff, Alta., grew out of control on Wednesday, sending out billowing clouds of smoke that could be seen as far away as Canmore, forcing an evacuation nearby and burning three hectares outside the intended area.

Parks Canada reported late Wednesday afternoon that the fire in Banff National Park was "out of control" but in an update around 10:30 p.m. said that the situation had improved.

"The fire is now classified as 'Being Held' thanks to helicopter bucketing, fire personnel, and assisting agencies," wrote Parks Canada on Twitter.

"Evening precipitation has further assisted with suppression and given current weather conditions and resources, the fire is not anticipated to grow beyond expected boundaries."

"Fire personnel will continue to work on the fire tomorrow and in coming days as required."

Parks Canada said personnel would be in the area patrolling roads and additional resources would be available as required throughout the evening hours.

It also reported that the evacuation order for the Rocky Mountain Resort had been lifted and guests staying at the resort started returning at 9 p.m.

The Town of Banff issued an alert at around 5 p.m. that a prescribed burn had crossed from Compound Meadow to the east side of Banff Avenue in the area of Mountain View Cemetery and the horse corrals.

Parks Canada later added that, "due to an unexpected shift in wind direction and speed, the fire escaped the predetermined boundary" at around 4 p.m. About three hectares were burned outside the unit boundary, with smoke and flames highly visible from Banff Avenue, Highway 1 and the Town of Canmore, Parks Canada said.

RCMP told CBC News they were requested to the Light Horse association grounds near Mountain View Cemetery to assist with evacuating the area.

Still, in 18 years of living in the Bow Valley, Brandon Pullan said he's never seen anything like this before. He's seen smoke from fires in British Columbia during some summers, but this, he said, is a first.

"There's nothing really [that's] been like this happen this close to town, this close to the highway," Pullan said. "It makes me feel a little embarrassed for the Parks people who decided to have controlled burns on a hot, windy day."

Moving forward, Pullan said he wants to know how Parks Canada will make sure this doesn't happen again. 

The prescribed burn began earlier on Wednesday. Over the spring and fall, the planned area for the prescribed burn would cover about 300 hectares.

In an interview earlier in the day, a Parks Canada employee told CBC News the prescribed burn was part of a fuel management solution. Many things can act as wildfire fuel, including grasses, trees, dead leaves and shrubs.

According to the Parks Canada website, prescribed burns help to decrease the wildfire hazard to the Town of Banff by reducing the buildup of flammable vegetation.

Parks Canada said they would provide more information on Thursday morning.