Growing concerns over wildfires in Alberta fuelled by soaring temperatures and gusting winds
Firefighters from the Siksika First Nation appear to have gotten the upper hand Wednesday battling a wildfire that broke out a day earlier south of Cluny, but gusting winds are creating some challenges as crews continue to watch for flare-ups.
The fire, which has forced nearby residents from their homes, is amongst a growing number of wildfires burning across Alberta — fueled by warm temperatures and strong winds — with little precipitation in the forecast.
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Click to share quote on Twitter: The fire, which has forced nearby residents from their homes, is amongst a growing number of wildfires burning across Alberta — fueled by warm temperatures and strong winds — with little precipitation in the forecast.
An update, posted on social media by the Siksika Nation Tribal Association on Wednesday, said firefighters have managed to contain the fire burning south of Cluny. Facebook/SiksikaNationTribalAdministration
So far the most serious fires have been burning north of Edmonton, but concerns are growing about the fire danger in other parts of the province, prompting officials there to put new fire bans and restrictions in place.
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On Tuesday Vulcan County, southeast of Calgary and Leduc County, south of Edmonton, posted fire bans.
That means that no campfires or other outdoor fires are allowed, including in campgrounds, backcountry or random camping areas, burn barrels, wood pellet smokers, charcoal briquettes and fireworks.
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A notice posted on the Leduc County website advises residents to 'use extreme caution when using anything that could cause a fire to ignite, including grinding or welding tools or even a vehicle's exhaust in dry grass.'
The county warns that 'due to increased winds and dry conditions, fires can ignite and become uncontrollable extremely quickly.'
Most of the counties surrounding Edmonton already have fire bans or fire restrictions in place.
There are also fire bans in place in at least 37 provincial parks, including such popular ones as Wabumun Lake and the Ghost River wilderness area.
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Temperatures in the low to high 20s along with gusty winds across most of Alberta this week have made fighting the growing number of fires, such as this one in Sturgeon Country near Edmonton, a huge challenge for firefighters. Global News
While the fire situation in southern Alberta is not as dire as it is further north, officials in the Calgary Forest area warn that we are just 'starting to see hints of spring a green-up,' meaning there is lots of dead and dry grass that creates an 'extreme fire risk' and could fuel fast moving wildfires.
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While there is currently no fire ban in place in Calgary, the Deputy Chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, Coby Duerr, said it's important for residents of the area to be prepared.
'I think that when we look at it from a climate change perspective we see that there's a shift — we see more complex events happening, we see them happening more often and we see them happening on top of each other,' said Duerr. 'That is happening across our country and especially in Alberta.'
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With much of Alberta just starting to see a spring 'green-up' fire officials warn there is lots of dead and dry grass that creates an extreme fire risk. Global News
And the weather forecast for the rest of the week doesn't appear to offer much help to firefighters.
In Edmonton the forecast high on Wednesday was 24 C with a chance of showers on Thursday and sunny skies the rest of the week.
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In Calgary, temperatures in the low 20s are forecast for the remainder of the week with a chance of rain on Monday.
In Lethbridge, there's no precipitation in the forecast until Monday, with temperatures the rest of this week in the low to high 20s.
More information on all the fire bans and restrictions across the province is available online at: albertafirebans.ca and albertaparks.ca/firebans.
Information on all the wildfires currently burning across the province is also available online at alberta.ca/alberta-wildfire.
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