By Alex Cooper
Pioneer Staff
Giant plumes of smoke rose from Kootenay National Park on Saturday, part of a controlled fire conducted on Mitchell Ridge by Parks Canada.
The fire was ignited in an effort to restore the historic fire cycle in the Kootenay Valley and to help protect people, facilities, and land from wildfire by reducing fuel loads created by years of fire suppression.
Rick Kubian, the incident commander, said the last wildfire in the Kootenay Valley was in 1917.
“Previously there were a lot more fires in the Kootenay Valley of both low and high severity,” he
said.
The fire also had the goals of reducing the mountain pine beetle population, improving wildlife habitat, and completing fireguards so wildfires and prescribed burns can be better managed in the future.
To prepare for the fire, crews with Parks Canada thinned out out 113 hectares of forest over the winter at the south end of Mitchell Ridge to create a fireguard. They also created a wetline by dumping 30,000 gallons of water at the top of the ridge to prevent it from spreading outside the park.
They also used natural breaks like avalanche chutes, rivers, and cliffs to contain the fires.
“We’re comfortable with the low probability of fire escaping the burn area,” said Mr. Kubian.
To ignite the fire, a mixture of fuels was dripped onto the forest. The substance was mixed into a jellylike consistency that stayed lit until it hit the ground. Simon Hunt, the aerial ignition mixing supervisor, said they can drop upwards of 7,000 litres of fuel per day.
They also used an aerial ignition device to drop ping-pong balls filled with a mix of potassium permanganate and glycol. The two substances created a delayed reaction that ignited after it hit the ground.
Two back-up helicopters were on standby, capable of dropping 350 gallons of water every three
minutes onto the fire.
“It’s half science, half intution,” said Art Laurenson, air operation branch director. “It’s like baking a cake: it’s a slightly different recipe every time you do it.”
The prescribed burn involved a crew of 40 personnel and six helicopters, as well as months of preparation.
In total, 2,000 hectares of forest was burned, out of a target of 4,500 hectares.
-30-
Death of Radium man creates hubbub
By Alex Cooper
Pioneer Staff
Rumours were flying in Radium this week, after a Radium man who was a star witness in a
wrongful murder conviction in Winnipeg died of a suspected accidental drug overdose.
RCMP Staff-Sgt. Doug Pack of the Columbia Valley detachment said Reath (Ray) Zanidean
was found last Monday afternoon in a house with three admitted drug users present, one of
whom attempted to give him resuscitation.
He was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.
Mr. Zanidean, a native of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, had a colourful past. In 1990 he was
alleged to have burned down his sister’s house in Swift Current but was never charged.
He is most notorious for his role in the 1991 trial and conviction of James Driskell for the murder of Perry Dean Harder. Mr. Zanidean testified in court that Mr. Driskell planned the murder.
In 2002 it was revealed that Mr. Zanidean received $80,000 in exchange for his testimony. He also received immunity from the arson charges.
In 2003 new DNA evidence called Mr. Driskell’s conviction into question. He was released on bail, and in 2005 the charges against him were stayed.
An inquiry into the Driskell trial revealed that Mr. Zanidean had threatened to recant his testimony if the demands he made in exchange for his testimony were not met.
Mr. Zanidean settled in Radium a few years ago and owned Rockies Pizzeria.
Upon his death, he faced charges for mischief and assault. Staff-Sgt. Pack said Mr. Zanidean
had allegedly damaged someone’s windshield and assaulted him.
However, Mr. Zanidean had friends in the community. Krystal Kashuba, Mr. Zanidean’s friend and hairdresser, left a bouquet of flowers on the doorstep at the pizzeria.
She said she was devastated by the news of his death. “He was one of the nicest people I had
ever met.”
She said she did not know about his drug use and that he took it really hard when his wife Susan abruptly left him last year. “I feel bad for his son Aaron because he’s only 15, his mother left him, and now his father is dead.”
The exact circumstances of Mr. Zanidean’s death await the results of the coroner’s inquiry.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment