Wildfire near Dead Man's Flats now held, as crews extinguish hotspots via helicopter

A large grass fire along Highway 1, east of Dead Man's Flats near Canmore, is now "being held" and is not expected to grow.

Alberta Wildfire had said more than 20 wildland firefighters were working to contain the fire, which was sparked on Friday, with help from five helicopters, airtankers and the Canmore fire department. 

The fire had burned six hectares as of Saturday evening, and fire crews were working to extinguish hotspots by helicopter. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Aaron Salus said he was watching water bombers from his balcony in Canmore on Friday, adding that the helicopters have been relentless in knocking down the smoke.

"The fire still has an active interior and that's being fuelled by some windy conditions today," said Josee St. Onge with Alberta Wildfire.

Highway 1 westbound reopened on Saturday, but one eastbound lane of the highway as well as the eastbound off-ramp from Dead Man's Flat onto Highway 1 remained closed.

RCMP asked the public to find alternative routes and cautioned that smoke may reduce visibility.

As of Saturday, there were 43 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection areas, two of which were out of control.

The fire danger was rated as high in much of the province. More than 52,000 hectares have burned so far this year.