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Proudly serving Cranbrook and area since 1951
Vol. 64, Issue 50
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Local grasslands ripe for fire danger Dirt bikes, ATVs blamed for two wildfires near Cranbrook this week; Dry conditions a month earlier than normal TRE VOR CR AWLEY
It may not feel like wildfire season, but conditions are ripe. According to the Southeast Fire Centre, there were two fires reported near Cranbrook earlier this week that were double-digit sized
in hectares, which is being blamed on the backcountry use of dirt bikes and ATVs. One blaze was an 11-hectare sized event west of Highway 95A, while the second was a 15 hectare fire 10 kilometres north of Cran-
brook. Both were contained quickly and are extinguished, according to Jordan Turner, a Fire Information Officer. âWith how dry and dead the grass has been through that area and the windy conditions we
had on that day, the fires spread quickly and thatâs how they got to that size quite quickly,â said Turner. Itâs Marchânot the typical time for fire season, but conditions are hazardous due to the melting snow and that
the grass hasnât greened up yet. âThe main issueâ earlier this week there hadnât been a lot of rain for quite a long time and a lot of the snow cover, with the higher temperatures, had gone and since the grasses in the
area hadnât had the chance to green up and renew for the new year, the grass has been very highly flammable,â said Turner. Turner said the causes was likely recreational activity involving ATVs or dirt bikes.
âOften times those fires can be started by mufflers in poor conditions or a machine thatâs been running for a long time and gets heated up and if it goes through grass, it doesnât take much for those to start up,â he said. However, the fire was reported quickly and initial attack crews were able to attend right away to contain the blazes.
See MIX, Page 3
No easy fix for Victoria and 3rd Street ARN E PE TRYSHEN
MARINA SIMONS PHOTO
Local dancers with Cranbrookâs Aspire Dance Academy got to take part this week in a special performance with the touring production of the Family Channelâs hit dance show âThe Next Step.â Local dance enthusiasts sold out the Key City Theatre for the show on Monday, March 9. Aspire dancers taking part were Nina Simons, Hayley McInnes, Paityn Calder, Olivia Shuflita and backup Halee Bohmer. Theyâre pictured here prior to the show with âNext Step Live On Stageâ members Victoria Baldesarra, Trevor Tordjman, Brittany Raymond, Jordan Clark, Lamar Johnson, Isaac Lupien, Jennie Pappas and Logan Fabbro, and Aspire Director Michelle Navratil. âThe Next Stepâ Season Three is premiering on Monday, March 16th at 7:30 PM ET/PT.
There doesnât seem to be a simple solution to making the crosswalk at Victoria Avenue and 3rd Street South safer. The intersection presents hazards because of the merging four-lane traffic pattern at that location. As traffic heads north on Victoria, the single lane diverges into two lanes before the intersection. Traffic in the other direction is two lanes that converge heading towards Gold Creek. At council on March 9, CAO Wayne Staudt said the RCMP is looking at reports of speeding on Victoria, which is one of the issues reported by the public.
See VICTORIA, Page 3