Last week, the slopes of the Pass Powderkeg ski hill were bathed in the light of controlled flames.

The fires were part of a series of controlled burns being conducted on the ski hill and an area north of the golf course. Provincial Wildland teams were also conducting burns north of Frank.

Crowsnest Pass Fire/Rescue said the burns are occurring to minimize fuel and remove slash piles from Fire Smart programs.

Brad Murray, municipal project manager, said the burning would continue throughout November.

“It’s an ongoing process to see how much we can get rid of,” he said.

The remains of a logging job that will be increasing the number of runs at the Pass Powderkeg provided fuel for the ski hill fires.

Last year local contractor Dale Linderman logged terrain in and around the Blairmore ski hill to widen existing runs and create new ones.

Linderman used a portion of the harvested lumber to cover his costs but donated the profits to the Pass Powderkeg Ski Society.

“He’s doing it as a service to the community,” Lyle Hannan, director of Community Services told the Pass Herald.