Rain helps crews fighting Rabbit Creek wildfire

The Rabbit Creek wildfire is now less of a danger, thanks to long awaited rainfall, and the work of crews on the ground.

The fire began on May 6, and grew to 36,665 hectares in size over the past few weeks. As of Thursday afternoon, it was listed as “being held,” which means the fire is not completely contained yet, but is not out of control.

“Favourable weather and recent precipitation over the last few days, along with hard work from the fire personnel on the ground has allowed us to work toward containment of this fire,” said Parks Canada incident commander Jed Cochrane.

With the weather forecast and the resources working on the fire, they don’t expect it to grow any further, he said.

Environment Canada is predicting periods of rain in the area throughout the weekend.

Cochrane said infrared scans will be done from helicopters in the coming weeks and crews will extinguish any remaining fire, monitoring it to ensure any potential activity is detected quickly.

David Britton, superintendent for Prince Albert National Park, said most areas in the park are now deemed safe for public use, and most of the fire-related closures have been lifted. This includes the North Shore road to Kingsmere Lake, the Crean and Hanging Heart lakes, including campgrounds, and Highway 263, including trails and campgrounds.

Closures still in place cover the west side of the park, including Elk Trail and Narrows Road.

The fire ban has also been lifted for the RM of Corman Park. However, people are still asked to use caution when burning in the area.