Alberta government says wildfire status continuing to improve

The Alberta government said the hard work and preparation from Alberta Wildfire allowed it to take advantage of the recent rain, which has led to a significant decline in wildfires. At the moment, 30 wildfires are burning in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. Twenty of these wildfires carried over from the 2023 season, and all of them are under control or being held. “There’s a wildfire that started in the Northwest Territories in 2023 that’s still burning along the border north of High Level, and both Alberta and the Northwest Territories are actively fighting this wildfire,” said Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen at a Thursday press conference. “The wildfire currently poses little risk to infrastructure and resources, and it is anticipated that the Alberta side of the wildfire will be classified as being held in the coming days.” Loewen said Alberta has experienced success because of its response tactics and improvements made since the last wildfire season, which is demonstrated by the decline in area burned. At this time last year, he said it had more than 520,000 hectares of area burned, but this year’s amount is 29,000 hectares. The wildfire near Fort McMurray is being held. Because of the favourable conditions and diligent work of firefighters, the evacuation order has been lifted and people have returned home. Loewen thanked these people for their patience and understanding as the Alberta government responded to the wildfire. He said he was “proud of the way Albertans continue to step up when their neighbours and communities need support and the way we work together to ensure the safety of every one involved.” The Alberta government has lifted restrictions and bans put in place while the wildfire was under control. The fire ban in southern Fort McMurray has been lowered to a fire advisory, and the off-highway vehicle restriction has been lifted. The forestry and parks minister went on to say it is important to remember conditions can change quickly. He added the Alberta government will continue to respond to changes in wildfire risk level as the season progresses. While Alberta will experience rain over the next few days, he acknowledged it is crucial Albertans stay updated on wildfire risk levels. If it experiences dry conditions, wildfire activity could ramp up. So far this year, he said 77% of wildfires have been confirmed as manmade and many of them under investigation will fall under it. Despite the Alberta government’s efforts to remind people to take extra care, he said 25 abandoned campfires were detected in the Calgary Forest Area. These fires were extinguished by patrol staff, but they could have led to more wildfire starts if not taken care of. They could have cost millions of dollars to fight, as they would threaten homes and communities. Loewen concluded by saying all people “have a part to play when it comes to protecting our forests and communities, and we need to make sure that when we’re spending time outdoors, we’re doing it safely.” Alberta Wildfire Information Unit Manager Christie Tucker said since the beginning of the year, it has responded to 358 wildfires, but the majority of them have been extinguished. “It was a wet and cold long weekend for most Albertans, and those conditions certainly did help the work of firefighters, especially those working up north,” said Tucker. “We recorded 45 millimetres of rain on the wildfire outside Fort McMurray over the weekend, but it doesn’t mean our work there is done.” Tucker pointed out firefighters, aircrafts, and heavy equipment have continued working, with more than 200 people on the ground reinforcing containment lines and extinguishing hotspots. It was because of the Incident Management Team, staff, contractors, and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) that the wildfire status changed. Loewen followed up by saying all wildfires in Alberta are investigated and has not heard back about the exact causes for some of them. “We know that there could always be that opportunity that people will start fires intentionally, but by in large, the majority of wildfires we’ve identified so far have been human caused either by accident or by negligence,” he said. RMWB said on Saturday wildfire evacuees from Fort McMurray communities Abasand, Beacon Hill, Prairie Creek, and Grayling Terrace can now return home. READ MORE: Fort McMurray says wildfire evacuation order for four communities liftedThe decision to lift the evacuation order was made in unified command with the RMWB and Alberta Wildfire. “We are so pleased to be able to welcome people home and have them return home safely,” said RMWB Mayor Sandy Bowman.

Alberta government says wildfire status continuing to improve

Related Stories