oe nnn naenn en nee een nee eee en Rg EE IE me EI re Never seen anything like it He watched Alberta burn By ANITA DOLMAN RICHARD FORGET says he had never seen a forest fire so active, The Kalum forest district official recently spent nearly three wecks as a fire boss at the Mitsue Lake fire near Slave Lake in northern Al- berta. When Forget and other fire fighters started work at the blaze on Monday, May 4, flames were shooting 100 feel beyond the treetops, “It was a continuous crown fire,” he says. ‘‘It was wind-driven and creat- ing its own weather pat- tern,’’ The fire started when a tree hit a power line during a wind storm, Those same winds kept the fire shilting wildly, making the task of conlaining . it almost im- possible for the first week Forget was there. Explaining his first day on the fire, he says, ‘‘We tried to push a fire guard in with about 75 bulldozers. But it was jumping the guards. They were basically use- less.”” The job of the fire crews the first day was just to pro- tect the workers building the massive fire guard trenches in the dirt from the flames. ‘In the heat of the day, we pulled everyone out and drove away to safe zones,” The blaze eventually grew to cover approximately 50,000 hectares and threatened the town of Slave Lake at least twice. Forget says that the fire is still not completely out. “It will take all summer to mop it up,’’ he says, Mitsue Lake was the first Alberta fire to require addi- tional help from B.C. Alt the time, Forget was one of only six B.C. fire fighters at the blaze, all of them acting as sector bosses, overseeing crews of fire fighters from Alberta and the U.S. However, right on his heels, three overhead teams The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 10, 1998 - A3 ROILING CLOUDS of dense smoke from the mas- sive Mitsue Lake fire in northern Alberta threaten an oil refinery. This photo was taken by Kalum forest dis- Hills blaze. Since then, all bul four of B.C.’s unit crews have been sent to Alberta al various times to help battle the fires there, The Kitimat and Hazelton 20-person crews, both of which are overseen by the Terrace Fire Attack Base, are due back Gom Alberta this week. Forgel says that’s good because they are needed here. Alt the end of last weck the local fire hazard was ranked high, or class four. “Its working ils way to extreme if it doesn’t rain,” says Forget. Richard Forget trict official Richard Forget who spent time as a fire boss at the blaze. Forget-is just one of hundreds of B.C, firefighters who rotated In and out cf Alberta. row, far left, is Terrace fire boss Richard Forget City turns down leashless plan FERRY ISLAND will not be turned into a leash-free zone for dogs. City councillors arrived at that decision at a committee meeting on Friday. The request had come from Angie Fraser and a number of other local residents who were in favour of having the island’s trai] network ag an.area where dogs could run free. City bylaw enforcement officer Frank Bowsher recom- mended that not happen. there’s no park in B.C. where dogs are allowed to run offa leash. Councillor Val George agreed the rules should net be relaxed, saying the island is frequented by people of all ages as Well as tourists, FHE HOT SHOTS, a crack fire fighting team from California came up to lend Ajbertans a hand. Front City councillor Olga Power noted city bylaws require dog excrement be scooped, but there are often no recep- lacles provided for dog owners to deposit it. . “Maybe something we should Jook at is putting wp con- News In Brief Multiplex meet planned SEVERAL DIFFERENT options outining what to put in Terrace’s proposed multiplex are now being consid- cred by a local advisory group, The options, drawn up by Vancouver-based Johnston Sport Architecture, are based on the results of surveys conducted here last month at an open house. The next step is another open house, which will take place Thursday, June 18th at the Terrace Arena dan- quet room from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. City parks and recreation superintendent said he’s once again hoping for a good turnout of peaple. Advisory design commiltce members and officials with Johnston Sport Architecture will be on hand to get local reaction to the options presented and explain the: planning process. Reporters nominated THREE STORIES written by current and former reporters for The Terrace Standard have been nominated for national awards in communily joumal- ism this year, Canadian Community Newspapers Association judges have nominated former reporter Dave Taylor in the Outstanding Reporter Initiative category for his coverage of the angling licence fee debacle last year. He used the provincial Freedom of Information Act to gaia crucial information. Former reporter Cris Leykauf is nominated for Best Historical Story for a feature she wrote about the dis- covery in the Nass Valley of a 160-year-old Hudson Bay fort, built as a bulwark against Imperial Russian incursions. And news reporter Jeff Nagel’s coverage early an of the Skcena Cellulose/Repap crisis — including Repap chairman George Petty’s denial of responsibility — is nominated in the Best Business Writing category. The Northern Sentinel in Kitimat, a sister paper to The Terrace Standard, also has a nomination. Reporter Derrick Penner’s coverage of the triple murder and subsequent manhunt for Kevin Vermette is nominated in the Best News Story category. Award winners are announced at the Canadian Com- munity Newspapers Associalion annual convention in Winnipeg July 22-25, University of Victoria | degrees awarded SEVEN TERRACE students received degrees or diplo- mas from the University of Victoria during convoca- tion ceremonics June 4-6, Congruatulations 10 all. Diploma in Public Sector Management: Vikki MacK- ay, Bachelor of Arts: Jacqueline Palmu. Bachelor of Commerce: Darci Yco. Bachelor of Education: Bradley Wright Bachelor of Science: Ngaio Beausoleil and Natalic Devost. -ABagheor. of Science in Nursing: Helen Hamel. achelor of Social Work: Leila Burton. and about a dozen 20-person “If we do this, we’re setting ourselves up for liability ifa tainers throughout the city as well as in the parks,’’ Bow- unit crews from all over B.C. were sent to the Swan dog charges oul and atlacks someone,’’ he said, adding co-op\ TERRACE CO-OP STARTING JUNE 10 FASHION. SUOSVE 4617 Greig Ave. Terrace Ph: 635-6347 sher said, will respond to that too. and to sign up for Call Answer today. 1,800 6616003 Now, you can enjoy the ease and convenience of Call Answer in Terrace, With Call Answer, your line is always open. It’s voice mail for your home. Call Answer will take a message whether you’re on another call or away from your phone. 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