2. Introduction Occurred on August 21, 2003. Due to wind, it began small but grew to be 6km long and 50m high The fire at this point could produce the energy of an atomic blast every 30 mins.
3. Positive Negative Despite the fire, many local businesses remained unaffected. Spray Lakes Sawmill will benefit from the salvage rights to the burnt lumber. Tourism suffered due to the fire. Salvage efforts depend upon the amount of root scorch and the cost to pursue the salvage. Effects on Economy
4. Positive Negative The area may look dead, but a new diversity of life is growing there. A burned area creates ecological diversity and allows for the development of rich undergrowth that wasn’t there before. 20,000 hectares of forest was burned. Large stands of timber smoother the light and inhibit undergrowth. Effects on the Environment
5. Effects on Residents People were evacuated with short notice, not allowing for any time to plan. Elaine Hruby – local resident asked to leave and her experiences. Only able to gather certain belongings Being strangely mesmerized by the fire
At 10 a.m. authorities told Hruby to leave.After putting her cat and dog in the car, Hruby grabbed the lamp her husband once used as a miner, her jewelry (but not her husbands) and a little plastic Buddha.“I felt masochistic, sitting on the outcropping, Hruby recalls. But those flames were like a magnet.”
