Achi news desk-
LETHBRIDGE, ALTA –
Wildfires in Alberta and BC seem to be starting early this year.
Fire services in both states are doing what they can to prepare for what is expected to be a difficult summer.
Wildfires have already forced some near Edmonton and Fort McMurray to evacuate. This year, there have been 198 wildfires across Alberta.
Experts say it won’t be long before fires are seen further south in Alberta.
“We had drought-like conditions over the winter months here in the province,” said Melissa Story, information officer with Alberta Wildfire.
“So we saw less snow than we normally would, so that led to a high fire danger. We legislatively started the fire season early in the state on February 20 rather than our usual start on March 1.”
It’s a similar story in BC where fires are already appearing in the Prince George and Cariboo fire zones.
The province is coming off its worst ever fire season with over 1.4 million hectares burnt.
“There’s definitely a lot of concern going into the 2024 fire season,” said Matt MacDonald, BC Fire Service’s lead fire weather forecaster.
“Over the last week, I think we’ve seen some really good examples of some of the early season fires that are digging in as early as mid-April and are already exhibiting some aggressive fire behaviors.”
Provincial fire services are not the only ones preparing.
The East Kootenay Regional District had to deal with several wildfires last year. They begin the preparation work to deal with whatever comes.
“We do a lot of preparation every year. We do it regardless of what the previous fire season was,” said Christina Carbrey, protective services manager for the East Kootenay Regional District.
“It’s one of those things where you never know what you’re going to get so we always need to be prepared. This fire season certainly has the potential to be is quite challenging but there are a ton of variables there.”
Southern Alberta is not out of the woods when it comes to wildfires either – dry weather and a high risk means the region is on alert for grass fires.
“Make sure the conditions are right if you’re burning. “As soon as it’s windy, fireworks can start very easily and spread quickly,” Story said.
Some municipalities have already started declaring fire restrictions. Lethbridge currently has a fire advisory declared for the river valley.
