EDMONTON – The weekend weather helped crews battling wildfires across the province. As of Monday, there were no longer any evacuations because of wildfires in Alberta, according to municipal affairs.
“The weekend cooled down quite a bit,” Wildfire Information Officer Laura Stewart said. “We saw a lot less wind and it really helped firefighters out with the cooler temperatures. They’re able to make a lot of progress on all the wildfires burning across the province.”
READ MORE: Lamont County officials say wildfire now under control
There are 25 wildfires still burning across the province, with the two of them being held and the rest are either under control or turned over to the responsible party, Stewart said.
There have been 235 wildfires in Alberta between April 1 and April 25, 2016, which is considerably higher than the average of 87 over the same period in the past five years.
READ MORE: Alberta animal rescue comes through during wildfire evacuations
“We had a dry spring and we had an early start to spring as well,” Stewart said. “We always have wildfires in the spring – it’s quite common – your grass is very dry… we just want to use extra care and caution when out in Alberta’s forests.”
The Alberta Fire Bans website has the latest information on fire bans.
Call 310-FIRE if you see a wildfire.
“Wildfires can still start easily and spread quickly so we encourage everyone to use extra care and caution,” Stewart said. “If you’re having a campfire, make sure you soak it, stir it, soak it again and the ashes are cool to the touch. When you’re out recreating and using your ATV or quad, check your hotspots. ATVs can and do easily start wildfires.”
Comments