Bragg Creek safe with wildfire now under control

Bragg Creek is no longer considered under threat from a large wildfire, which is now being held by provincial fire crews.

On Tuesday morning, the 60-hectare blaze near McLean Creek was deemed to be no longer out of control, prompting the Municipal District of Foothills to cancel a state of local emergency declared the previous day.

The wildfire, which was sparked on Sunday, flared to as much as 100 hectares as it burned some 16 kilometres south of the hamlet of Bragg Creek on the east side of the Elbow River.

On Tuesday, Rocky View County said the community was no longer threatened by the blaze.

According to Alberta wildfire officials, the fire is “not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries.”

An air quality advisory was issued Monday for communities east of the blaze.

A voluntary evacuation was issued for area residents but a cold front moving through the area has aided crews, which included 28 firefighters, three air tankers, seven helicopters and eight pieces of heavy firefighting equipment.

On Monday, 99 firefighters and support staff from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario, along with an air tanker from Alaska, arrived to provide assistance in battling wildfires, the majority of which are in northern Alberta.

As of Tuesday, 30 wildfires are burning in Alberta, eight of which are deemed out of control.

So far in 2018, some 29,000 hectares have burned due to wildfires.