The fire spread to only 20 metres thanks to the quick response of Jasper National Park staff, but the illegal blaze that caused the Cabin Lake wildfire on Sept. 10 posed a major threat to the Jasper townsite.

The charges related to that incident have worked their way through the court system, and the man charged with starting an illegal fire and failing to extinguish a fire has received a hefty fine and has been ordered to pay for the cost of extinguishing the blaze. 

Steven L’Hirondelle, of Edmonton, was fined $150 for the charge of lighting the fire, $1,000 for failing to extinguish the fire, and was ordered to pay $671 to Parks Canada in restitution to make up for the cost of putting out the wildfire, in Jasper Provincial Court on Nov. 24. 

Jasper Park Warden Lucas Habib, the officer who charged L’Hirondelle, said this fire proved what Parks has been saying for years; fires can burn into the ground long after they have been doused, and ignite later.

The fire in question burned in the organic layers beneath the makeshift fire pit for a week before it sparked and spread into the forest. According to Habib, L’Hirondelle kicked dirt over his fire pit when he was done with it to smother the flames, but did not use water to extinguish the flames. 

“If you’re putting a fire out, you need to use liquid and lots of it,” Habib said. 

The cost to put out the blaze was $671.73. It happened on a Friday evening and Parks staff had to be called in after hours to use hand tools to put out the fire. Luckily, no helicopter was needed to put it out. 

The location of the illegal blaze was just west of town in a crucial area that easily could have spread into the Jasper townsite. 

The maximum fine for each charge L’Hirondelle received was $2,000.

“Each case is weighed by the judge and he decides on the outcome,” Habib said. 

The fire happened when the wildfire risk was low, and Habib said it just goes to show how easily a wildfire can spark in the best of conditions. 

The investigation was conducted by Habib, who called it a typical investigation, using a series of clues.

Many of the charges handed out by Park Wardens in the late summer and early fall are working their way through the court system now in Jasper.