EDMONTON- After just one week of warm temperatures in our province, fire crews are already facing wildfire season.
“It’s been pretty hectic. We’ve had quite a few fires, wildfires,” said Greg Minde, fire chief with the Ermineskin Cree First Nation Fire Department.
Crews with the Ermineskin fire department have had a particularly busy 24 hours. A wildfire early Tuesday morning across from the Louis Bull townsite in Hobbema led to the evacuation 10 homes in the area.
“With high winds, we just couldn’t contain them. They were travelling, jumping roads,” Minde explained Wednesday afternoon.
Minde estimates the fire burned about 70 acres of land. However, no one was injured in the fire and no structures were damaged.
If the warm, dry, windy conditions stick around, Minde expects a busy wildfire season for fire crews.
“I’m still estimating a lot more fires. I couldn’t even imagine what’s to come.”
Fire crews in much of the province are on alert, dealing with similar situations.
Whitney Exton, a wildfire information officer with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development says there are currently 14 wildfires burning in Alberta, one of which is considered out of control.
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“We’ve just seen the snow starting to melt, so we’re left with the dead and dry grass. (These are) really good conditions for wild fires to start and spread very quickly,” Exton explained.
A number of fire bans are currently in place across the province, mainly in central and southern Alberta. However, most of the current wildfires are burning in northern Alberta.
A full fire ban was declared in Strathcona County Tuesday afternoon, and crews battled four grass fires in the Edmonton area Tuesday evening.
Officials say most wildfires are caused by humans; nearly 80 per cent of the wildfires in Alberta in 2012 were human-caused. And as we head into another season, firefighters are urging people to be smart and be prepared.
“If you’re going to be doing a fire, make sure you have eyes on it at all times. Especially for any grass fires, anything burning around your area, please be prepared, get your hose out, get a nozzle, pails, whatever. Fill up the pails with water even before you start the fire. Be prepared,” said Minde.
The Government of Alberta has launched a new, free app– called Alberta Wildfire- which shows all fires currently burning in the province.
With files from Fletcher Kent.
Follow @CaleyRamsay
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