Wildfires in winter in Alberta? It may sound like a fantasy, but record-breaking temperatures in some parts of the province in recent days have turned it into a reality this year.
According to Alberta Wildfire, there have already been five wildfires in the province in 2026.
The latest, a fire near the headwaters of the Panther River, about 150 kilometres northwest of Calgary, broke out on Wednesday and has burned an area of about three square kilometres.
Initially listed as “out of control,” on Thursday officials with Alberta Wildfire told Global News it was “being held.”
The Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, where the fire is burning, also issued a warning that, although there is significant snowfall in some areas, others are dealing with exposed dead and dry vegetation that, combined with “warm temperatures, winds and dry vegetation, create ideal conditions for wildfires to ignite and spread.”
Similar warnings have also been issued in several other areas of the province.
On Wednesday, Rocky View County, located just outside the city of Calgary, issued a ban on any open fires and suspended any burning permits that had previously been issued.
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The nearby Calgary Forest District, which doesn’t include the city itself, also issued a fire advisory, urging residents to “consider delaying burning projects until conditions improve.”
The wildfire concerns have been heightened by this week’s record-setting temperatures, combined with warm Chinook winds.
Several southern Alberta communities set new daytime highs on Wednesday, including Waterton, Medicine Hat, Pincher Creek, Crowsnest Pass, Brooks and Bow Island.
In Lethbridge, the mercury rose to just shy of 21 C, and while it wasn’t a record, a fire ban remains in place in the Lethbridge River Valley after two grassfires last month burned dangerously close to several homes.
“We are so dry. The numbers are through the roof. As of today, we are extreme. We’re in more or less August levels right now,” said Troy Hicks, chief fire marshal with Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services.
“Just any little fire, with how dry it is, can get out of control so quickly. You add the wind and it’s on a rocket path.”
Hicks, who just returned from a meeting with fire marshals from across the province, says the risk is similar all over southern Alberta.
“When I was speaking to Wood Buffalo and Strathcona counties, they still have snow up there, so they’re doing OK, but once you hit pretty well Red Deer South, there’s nothing,” said Hicks. “It’s just so dry. We’re trying to keep a look at it to the point where we’re almost starting to think, ‘Hey, should we be starting to cut grass and stuff already?'”
It’s also heightening his concerns over the upcoming summer.
“We would need multiple days of snow to lower our fire risk right now and I just don’t see that happening. I mean, I’m hoping we have a great spring of rain. Also, the negative part of me is thinking, hey, winter hasn’t kicked our butt yet, so is it going to come in March and April?”
“But yeah, it’s concerning. It’s one of those things we’re going to have to keep an eye out. We’re all gonna have to do our part.”
According to the province, wildfire season doesn’t officially begin in Alberta until March 1.
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