Alberta wildfire downgraded thanks to wet weather

Wet weather helps fight wildfire Steady rain and snow helped get a wildfire under control Monday

Calgary — A wildfire burning in southwestern Alberta has been downgraded from “out-of-control” to “held” because of rain and snow overnight Sunday and early Monday.

The fire, which is just north of Canmore, grew in a hurry. It went from roughly 10 hectares to 676 hectares in the span of three and a half days.

But Alberta wildfire information officer Travis Fairweather said Monday that precipitation had a dramatic effect on its level of danger.

The fire was discovered on Friday near the base of Blackrock Mountain.

Fairweather told CTV News at its peak, air tankers and helicopters were fighting flames and a controlled burn was taking place along the perimeter. Monday, roughly 21 people were still working.

Officials say no communities were ever in danger.

The area received roughly 16 hours of rain and snow in higher elevations. The weather was enough to not only knock down flare-ups, but to also clear some smoke around Canmore and Banff.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.