Canadian towns scramble to take precautions against wildfire

By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, May 10 (Reuters) - After a wildfire blazed a path of
destruction in the oil boomtown of Fort McMurray, Canadian towns
in heavily wooded northern Alberta are scrambling to take
precautions against fire as hot weather and dry vegetation
increase the risk.
The wildfire, which forced 88,000 residents to evacuate Fort
McMurray, grew to 229,000 hectares (560,000 acres) on Tuesday.

Half a dozen communities located in forest in the western
province of Alberta were variously clearing out dead wood,
pruning back the most flammable kinds of trees and banning open
fires, officials said.
In Whitecourt, 180 km (112 miles) northwest of the
provincial capital of Edmonton, officials are aggressively
enforcing a ban on all-terrain vehicles and looking at
installing giant sprinklers on the edge of town.
"The Fort McMurray situation has everyone thinking, that's
for sure," said Jay Granley, director of community safety in the
10,000-strong town.
Communities located in forested areas will likely be
reviewing their insurance arrangements, said Insurance Bureau of
Canada spokesman Steve Kee, though none surveyed by Reuters said
they plan to get more coverage.
The northern or boreal forest covers 270 million hectares (1
million square miles), stretching across most of northern
Canada.
University of Alberta professor Mike Flannigan, who
specializes in wildfires, said almost every town in the forest
was at risk.
"This is a wake-up call," he said. "People ... think this is
a one in a lifetime thing, a one off, a fluke, but it's not."
Efforts over the past century to fight fires rather than
letting them burn have caused a build-up of dead organic matter.
Much of Alberta is dry after a mild winter and warm spring.
Many towns take advantage of a provincial program which
funds the removal of combustible material and tree pruning.
Slave Lake, which lost a third of its buildings in a 2011
fire, will ask Alberta for more money so it can keep the program
going forever, said Brian Vance, chief administrative officer.
Using fire-resistant materials for roofs and sidings would
also help but this is not obligatory under Alberta's building
code, a frustration for some.
"We can't force people to use metal roofing," said Vance.
Local authorities do have some room to maneuver. Peace
River, 120 miles north west of Slave Lake, requires substantive
fire proofing for new developments with houses close together.
Many towns complained that it is difficult to keep hold of
firefighters, who are unpaid.
Officials said that while they are trying hard, nothing can
stop a major blaze and the priority is keeping people safe.
"In many cases that means getting them out of the way while
the thing burns through," said Deborah Juch, manager of
legislative services in a region that includes the town of
Wabasca-Desmarais.