The Crowsnest Fires document summarizes a large wildfire that occurred in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta in 2003. The fire grew rapidly to a 6 km wide and 50 m tall wall of flames, releasing energy equivalent to an atomic explosion every 30 minutes. One witness did not know what to take to evacuate and ended up taking only her cat, dog, jewelry, and a plastic Buddha. She then watched the flames from a distance, drawn to them "like a magnet." The fire burned over 20,000 hectares of forest and negatively impacted timber and tourism industries initially. However, some local businesses saw increased activity. Over time, the burned area will create new ecological diversity.

1. The Crowsnest Fires

2. A Crazy Random Happenstance On August 21, 2003 a seasonal wildfire transformed into a 6-km wall of flame reaching 50 m into the sky. The fire was suddenly throwing off the energy equivalent of an atomic explosion every 30 minutes. Crowsnet Nest Fire, Crowsnest Pass [Online Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2009 from Uwaterloo.ca. www.environment.uwaterloo.ca/.../wildfire.html

3. Experiencing it first hand... “ I didn’t know what to take,” says Hruby, recalling her anxious departure. “You start doing crazy things.” Like taking only her cat, dog, jewellery, her husband's miner lamp, and a plastic Buddha. Hruby then drove about 20 km west along the valley, sat down on a rock ledge and watched the flames veer down on Hillcrest. “ I felt masochistic, sitting on the outcropping,” Hruby recalls, “but those flames were like a magnet.”