Alberta spending $900K to upgrade wildfire monitoring as season begins

As Alberta heads into the heart of wildfire season, the province is committing almost $1 million to upgrade its early-warning systems.

Forestry Minister Todd Loewen says $900,000 is being allocated to upgrade and expand its network of 150 weather stations.

These stations monitor environmental conditions, like temperature, humidity, wind and moisture, in real time to help fire crews know where they will be needed when the weather gets hot and dry.

The monitors will also be able to keep track of snowpack levels, which are strong indicators of Alberta’s fire risk early in the season.

2:02 Wildfire response ramps up in Alberta as officials track weather and drought impact

Alberta’s wildfire season has been slow off the mark, with 65 wildfires recorded so far compared with the 115 blazes that had started by this time last year.

The wildfire season officially began March 1, but historically the peak danger doesn’t start until around May.

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That said, two years ago wildfires broke out at the beginning of April, leading to a record-breaking fire year in Alberta.

Loewen said they are preparing as best they can for the inevitable.

“(We’re) cautiously optimistic, but we know we do have challenges coming forward,” he said Thursday.

“We know we’re gonna have fires.”

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— With a file from Karen Bartko, Global News