Achi news desk-
Although rain and cooler temperatures earlier this week have curbed the risk of wildfires in some parts of Alberta, officials warn that is not the case for the entire province. With temperatures set to warm this weekend, Albertans are being warned that the danger in the northwest is still extreme.
“Thanks to cooler temperatures and precipitation in many parts of the province, wildfire danger is now low to moderate across much of Alberta,” Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said during a provincial wildfire update Thursday morning .
The current wildfire situation
There are currently 40 wildfires burning in the province’s forest protection area, with three of those being contained and the rest under control. There are no wildfires in Alberta currently listed as out of control.
The current situation is very different to this time last year. So far this year, wildfires have burned 9,197 hectares of land. At this time last year, more than 260,000 hectares had burned.
“Spring rain is one of the biggest factors in what kind of season we’re going to see,” said Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker. “At this point last year, we were way, way ahead of the current situation. We had already seen more area burned than we would see in a whole season at this point.”
‘Conditions are about to change’ in some parts of Alberta
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While the current conditions are welcome, Tucker warned of the potential for things to change quickly, especially in northwestern Alberta.
Fire restrictions are in place for areas in northern Alberta, and fire bans are currently in effect in the Grande Prairie forest area.
“With temperatures rising rapidly over the next few days, we are about to see a major increase in wildfire danger in those areas of the state that haven’t had as much rain,” Tucker stressed.
“Conditions are about to change.”
Officials are expecting low humidity, high temperatures and strong winds in northwestern Alberta this weekend. Those conditions will increase the risk of wildfires and can cause wildfires to spread quickly.
“We are increasing our caution for this weekend especially in those areas that did not receive as much rain, around the Peace and Grande Prairie region,” said Tucker.
“It’s not a safe time to have wood fires outdoors. You need to be aware of the restrictions, and what you can and can’t do under a fire ban, and respect those because you don’t want to be the person who starts a firework in that area at the weekend this.”
Tucker said it is not just the current lack of precipitation that is leading to the increased risk of wildfires in the region. He said that the region has been in a drought situation during the last year.
“There have been many months of dry fuel accumulated in that area, and they did not receive as much rain to cause the relief that we have seen, fortunately, in many other areas in the province,” he said.
For the latest information on which areas in Alberta are under a wildfire warning or evacuation order, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website.
For the latest information on the status and danger of wildfires across the province, visit the Alberta Wildfire website.
The most up-to-date information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province can be found on the Alberta fire bans website.
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