K, I give up, I don't know why this link isn't taking you to the photo album but I give up. I've deleted and tried to redo it so many times its not funny. Anyway it works if you connect from the main page article posting, so who really cares!
Thanks to Gav for supplying the photos from varios websites he has been to.

And now to Barb's Report....a journalist truly outstanding in her field!
(Ha ha ha. Aw c'mon you knew that one was coming eventually....)

The days have been really smokey here and have affected some ppl but there has not been an influx to emerg so this is good news. Most ppl have been keeping inside with the windows closed. When the kids go back to school today they are going to show them what to do in an emergency evacuation situation. Hopefully that will not come about but they feel with the ppl that have been evacuated on the outside of town that it would be a good idea...and I suppose that it is.
It is almost 7 a.m. here and the helicopters are starting their morning ritual. The fly right over our place and the town so we know that they are on the way to another long day of fighting the fires. I have taken some pics and will send some along as long as I get them. I have some of the Blairmore fire (which is mostly smoke) and I am hoping to get to the air field today or tomorrow to get the pics of the 'copters coming in for the evening.
They have quite a contingent of fire trucks at #2 station. I could not get a good overall view in the camera as it is relatively flat in that area but will go again to see if there is not a better view farther away.
When we went to the Blairmore fire we were able to take a tour of the helicopters ....(there were only 5) but they were awesome and they put Christopher (5) into several of them and were explaining all what they do and he just nodded his head like he understood everything but he was right in his glory. They said it averaged to about $6500.00 per day to run one helicopter. No wonder our tab for this province right now is almost $300 million.
Anyways, here I am rambling on. Everything is fine here. I beleive that the firefighters are doing everything they can and then some. They are a brave group of ppl doing a very dangerous job.

Lots of love Auntie Barb

Another update from Auntie Barb, our roving reporter in the field.
From The Ministry of Forests Homepage - Protection Branch


Lamb Creek
(N10470)
This fire was discovered on Aug 7, 2003 12:25 PM.

A map of the fire is available in PDF format (posted Aug 29, 2003 10:17 AM, 345 kb) and in JPG format (posted Aug 29, 2003 10:17 AM, 234 kb). Why isn't this more recent?
LAMB CREEK UPDATE - Aug 31 at Noon
Aug 31, 2003 12:18 PM
Lamb Creek Fire, Cranbrook zone, 15 km SW of Cranbrook, W of Moyie Lk
Fire status

· The fire remains at approximately 10637 hectares in size
· No structures have been lost
· Heavy machinery is close to completing the fire guard above the homes at Monroe Lake and mop-up is continuing in the area of some homes
· Evacuees in the Monroe Lake area were permitted to return to their homes yesterday between 08:00 and 12:00 to check on perishables and the state of their homes
· Today, an escorted entry for one resident per household is being conducted in the Green Bay area so that residents can check on the state of their homes
· Yesterday, a successful burn-off was completed in the Lamb Creek drainage
· On the west flank there was a small excursion that was quickly guarded by crews and heavy equipment
· Mop-up is continuing on some quieter flanks of the fire
· Crews also contained a spot fire on the east side of Highway 3/95. The fire was caused by a lightning strike that occurred a few days ago
· Today weather conditions will be warmer and drier and some moderate winds are expected. In preparation, fire guards are being reinforced and crews are being pre-positioned in the appropriate areas
· Contingency guards are in place around the fire
· Fire control operations continue with 17 helicopters, 70 pieces of heavy equipment, and 2 boats
· There are 380 Forest Service fire fighters assigned to the Moyie Complex and 140 structural fire fighters in the Cranbrook area

Evacuation status
LAMB CREEK SUMMARY:

TOTAL PEOPLE AFFECTED: 1046
TOTAL RESIDENCES AFFECTED: 598

FIRE NOTICE
TOTAL PEOPLE: NIL
TOTAL RESIDENCES: NIL

EVACUATION ALERT (Aug 26 @ 18:30 MDT & Aug 27 @ 08:00 MDT)
TOTAL PEOPLE: 851
TOTAL RESIDENCES: 472

EVACUATION ORDER (Aug 25 @19:00 MDT & Aug 27 @ 08:00 MDT)
TOTAL PEOPLE: 195
TOTAL RESIDENCES: 126

REGISTERED AT RECEPTION CENTRE: 181
as of 4 p.m., Aug 30

· The Office of the Fire Commissioner issued an Evacuation Order at 08:00 hours on Aug. 27, to residents of the Lamb Creek area, including: Highway 3/95 from Green Bay Road to the north end of Twin Lakes; including west side of Highway 3/95 between Green Bay Road and north end of Twin Lakes. Due west of Highway 3/95 at Twin Lakes to Negro Creek watershed. South along Negro Creek watershed to Lumberton Forest Service Road to the southern height of land.

· As of 18:30 August 25, 2003 an Evacuation Order was put in place for an area near Moyie Lake. The area extends from the junction of the Little Lamb, Lamb Creek Forest Service Road to the bridge at the narrows on Moyie Lake. The area boundary runs north along Moyie Lake to Highway 3/95, north on Highway 3/95 to Hiawatha Bridge to the junction of Little Lamb, Lamb Creek Forest Service Road. This is the same area that was under evacuation alert of August 16th. This order will remain in effect until further notice.

o Evacuation Reception Centre is at the Heritage Inn, 803 Cranbrook Street North in Cranbrook. Residents can contact the reception centre at 250 489-4301.

o For more information, residents can call the Emergency Operations Centre public information line, which is open 24 hours a day, at 250 420-4212 and 250 420-4211.It is important that residents report to the designated Evacuation Reception Centre at the Heritage Inn, 803 Cranbrook Street North in Cranbrook.

· As of 18:30 MDT on August 26, 2003 the Office of the Fire Commissioner upgraded the FIRE NOTICE to an EVACUATION ALERT for the Lumberton and Jim Smith Lake areas south of Cranbrook. The area is described as Hwy 3/95 from the junction of Lumberton Rd, including the west side of Hwy 3/95 to the junction of Jim Smith Lake Rd. Including Jim Smith and New Lake. Hwy 3/95 from Elizabeth Lake to Silver Springs Rd, including residents between the two points and along Hwy 3/95 and including Silver Springs. This does not include Gold Creek or Cranbrook.


Fire Centre Bulletin 550
LAMB CREEK UPDATE - Aug 30 at Noon
Aug 30, 2003 12:57 PM
Lamb Creek Fire, Cranbrook zone, 15 km SW of Cranbrook, W of Moyie Lk
Fire status

Thanks Auntie Barb for this update.....
(dated September 1, 2003)

Fire crews are busy as bees in the East Kootenay.
The most worrisome fire, the Lamb Creek fire is nearly 11 thousand hectares. It's grown about three hundred hectares in the past couple of days.

Incident commander Bob Pfannenschmidt says the main pressure point is Monroe Lake and the highway.
They have crews working that area with CATs as well as a section in the Lumberton area.
Pfannenschmidt says crews will try to take out another 200 hectares today. They have control lines, and are letting fire come down to them. There is 0 per cent containment of the fire.
Wind is expected to be from the north and northwest Monday and Tuesday, between 10 and 20 killow-metres an hour.

**The Plumbob Mountain Fire had a bit of action yesterday, when the fire jumped a guard, burning about 20 hectares. Crews had burned off about 80 per cent of the fire at this one location, when the wind shifted. Pfannenschmidt says the blaze is within secondary and cursory guards. He says the fire is 55 per cent contained, and 30 per cent controlled. Evacuees were allowed to go home yesterday.

The fire 15 killow-metres north of Creston at Kuskonook Creek grew to about 400 hectares. 56 people in 27 homes are on evacuation ALERT. Fire information officer Geoff Green says the fire has NOT come any closer to homes.
He says the blaze is about one and a half kilometres from the nearest structure, but is burning away from homes, upslope.
Green says fire likes to burn uphill, and there is lots of available and continues fuel for it to burn.

The Cummings Creek blaze, 15 km NW of Sparwood is now about 780 hectares in size. The fire guard built on the east flank has held, and the fire has not spread any further towards the Elk Valley.
The majority of the fire is in rugged and very inaccessible terrain at high elevation. Much of the fire is being held within natural boundaries in the Cummings Creek drainage and will burn itself out.

Staff Sergeant Grant Learned says evacuees worried about property at their homes will be glad to know there are NO reports of any stolen items or illegal access.
Learned says officers handed out four tickets yesterday to travellers on highway 3 near Moyie. He says two tickets were for speeding. He says it's extremely dangerous to go too fast...not only because it's smoky and traffic is clogged..but also because of the wildlife. Grant says there are lots of elk and deer. Again, a reminder not to park or stop along that section of road. You face a hefty fine.

On a lighter note, the fire fighters who received a visit from Scott Neidermayer and Lord Stanley's cup are getting their pictures back. They're still really excited, and very thankful to have had the chance to see the cup first-hand.

If you have any questions about the fire situation in the East Kootenay, call the fire information line at: 420-4211 / 420-4212. And just one note for those wanting to travel back to Alberta today, highway 93 south IS open. Sunday, it was closed for about three hours because fire crews were doing some burnoff between castle juncion and radium. but again, highway 93 south is open 24/7.


Residents on the east side of Kootenay Lake are now on evacuation ALERT. It was issued Sunday, August 31st.
It's for those residents from Kootenay Lake east along Boulder Creek for two killow-metres, then northwest paralleling highway 3A to Jansen Creek, then along Jansen Creek to Kootenay Lake.
The alert is so residents can get critical belongings together in case they have to evacuate at a later time.