Firefighters treat Alta's Elk Island National Park fire as a prescribed burn

[five_alarm]

EDMONTON - More than 50 people, along with three helicopters and numerous bulldozers, were fighting fire with fire Sunday in an attempt to fully contain a blaze in Elk Island National Park. Park superintendent Robert Sheldon said crews were busy creating fire guards to stop the spread of the flames, which had scorched 12 square kilometres by mid-afternoon. The work was paying off as 75 per cent of the fire was listed as contained. "We have the luxury on this one where we can afford to back off to a safe line, make a fire guard and allow itself to burn itself out," Sheldon said. Every so often, park officials purposely set fires in a controlled manner - called prescribed burns - to simulate natural forest fires. "We haven't done any prescribed burns in a couple of years because it's been so dry," Sheldon said. This fire is now being treated like a prescribed burn.

Source: canadaeast.com (http://www.firehall.com/refer.php?url=http://canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040502/CPN/16463021&linkid=586&parent=news(headlines)&)