That was a minor incident compared to the major blazes that are raging across Alberta and Manitoba.
In those provinces, it’s been a dry, hot spring and that means plenty of fuel for fires when they get moving.
Coincidentally, this week was the first anniversary of the sad state of affairs in Slave Lake, Alta., where most of that community was destroyed by a wild fire that was later determined to be set on purpose.
Thankfully, that illegal activity doesn’t happen often in this province but the threat of accidental forest fires still grows as the weather improves.
On this coast we have a special connection with the forests and fires are always in the forefront of our thinking.
Maybe that’s why we don’t have many that get out of hand and cause threats to life and property.
First of all we still use plenty of trees for industry.
The Corner Brook newsprint may be teetering but it still uses plenty of fibre to churn out paper for the world.
Besides the direct jobs at the mill, many in the region depend on spinoffs from the newsprint production, sawmills and fledging pellet plants for a living. Recreation is also big in this part of the province, especially owning a cabin.
Cabin owners have to be vigilant as the forests turn to tinder in the warm months and take every precaution to prevent igniting a disaster.
We only have to watch news coverage of damaging fires in other provinces to know just how much damage they can do when they start to rage out of control.
