2. Details
• August 21, 2003
• Seasonal wildfire got out
of control
• Wall of flames stretched 6
km long and 50 m high
• Produced energy
equivalent to an atomic
explosion every 30 minutes
3. Resident Evacuations
• People forced to abandon their homes
• Example: Elaine Hruby
• Told to evacuate at 10 am
• Grabbed her pets and some random possessions
• All she could do was drive away and watch the fire
spread.
4. Impact
• 20,000 hectares of forest burned
• Local tourism hit hard by fires
• Other local businesses unaffected
• Dry cleaners, gas stations, restaurants, etc.
5. Spray Lake Sawmills
• Benefited from the fire
• Able to salvage burnt lumber
• 28% quota of salvage rights
• Amount of actual salvage depends on the extent of
the damage and the cost to access debris
6. Ecological Impact
• Large, old forests inhibit undergrowth
• Fires can have a positive ecological impact
• New life will eventually grow in the area impacted
by the fire
• Leads to ecological diversity
9. Image Sources
Forest Fires [Online Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from filebuzz.com.
http://www.filebuzz.com/fileinfo/9829/Forest_Fires.html.
Forest Fire Aftermath [Online image]. (n.d.). Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from
wikipedia.org.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forest_fire_aftermath.jpg.
Moore, William (Photographer). (2009, June 29). [Photograph of forest fire regrowth,
Lake Tahoe], [Online image]. Lake Tahoe and Virginia City – opposites attract
[Web log message]. Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from
http://bmoore3photos.blogspot.com/2009/06/lake-tahoe-and-virginia-city-
opposites.html.
Richard (Photographer). (2009, July 4) Crowsnest Pass Sunset, [Online image]. Some
mountains at day’s end [Web log message]. Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from
http://my.opera.com/musickna/blog/2009/07/04/some-mountains-at-days-end.
10. Image Sources
Forest Fires [Online Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from filebuzz.com.
http://www.filebuzz.com/fileinfo/9829/Forest_Fires.html.
Forest Fire Aftermath [Online image]. (n.d.). Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from
wikipedia.org.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forest_fire_aftermath.jpg.
Moore, William (Photographer). (2009, June 29). [Photograph of forest fire regrowth,
Lake Tahoe], [Online image]. Lake Tahoe and Virginia City – opposites attract
[Web log message]. Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from
http://bmoore3photos.blogspot.com/2009/06/lake-tahoe-and-virginia-city-
opposites.html.
Richard (Photographer). (2009, July 4) Crowsnest Pass Sunset, [Online image]. Some
mountains at day’s end [Web log message]. Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from
http://my.opera.com/musickna/blog/2009/07/04/some-mountains-at-days-end.
