The city of Edmonton is officially under a fire ban, effective Tuesday.
“We’re issuing this ban due to the prolonged dry, hot and extremely windy conditions we’ve seen in the city and across much of central Alberta,” Edmonton Fire Rescue Service’s Acting Fire Chief David Lazenby said Tuesday morning.
“Even though we’ve seen some rain, it’s not been enough to improve conditions significantly.”
When deciding whether to issue a fire ban, EFRS considers weather data such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and precipitation, as well as the progressive green-up of vegetation, which has not happened yet.
“The fire ban prohibits open burning, fire pits, fireworks, backyard fire pits and cooking stoves and barbecues that use fuel such as wood and brickettes,” Lazenby said.
He said he couldn’t speculate on when the fire ban might be lifted, as it’s weather- and condition-dependent.
“We need nature to assist us in getting it lifted,” Lazeby said.
“I want to acknowledge the tremendous work of our firefighters and our dispatchers who’ve worked tirelessly over the last couple of weeks, facing the challenging grassfire conditions we’ve had to deal with,” Lazenby said.
“They’ve protected lives and properties endlessly and they’ll continue to do so.
“But we’re asking the people of Edmonton to help us to help them. We can only do so much. And we need their assistance just to help reduce risk, to help us get through the next period of time while conditions are as dry as they are.”
The weather and fire conditions have contributed to several devastating fires inside the city and around it.
There are two wildfires burning west of Edmonton that have forced the evacuation of parts of Parkland and Yellowhead counties, including Wildwood, Lobstick and the Hamlet of Evansburg.
On Monday, three separate fires within city limits put a huge strain on local fire resources.
A large grass fire broke out along Anthony Henday Drive near 111 Avenue at 3:20 p.m., originating at 184 Street and 105 Avenue. Nine units, or about 36 firefighters, were dispatched and the Henday was closed for several hours between Stony Plain Road and the Yellowhead.
“While it might appear to be a simple type of fire to deal with, wind-driven fires are incredibly challenging for our firefighters and they’ve faced that and stood up to that challenge tremendously in the past couple of weeks,” Lazeby said.
Grassy, forested areas present a different kind of challenge for fire crews, the acting chief said.
“We position our vehicles as best we can and we have some all-terrain vehicles that help firefighters get into those difficult environments,” Lazenby said.
“But there comes a point, though — because of the nature of the fires and where those types of fires are — they’re always going to be a challenge for any types of firefighters because of the terrain that typically the fire has spread into. It’s an additional challenge over and above the heat, the smoke, the physical exertion that goes on.”
Lazenby said nature can make the battle hard.
“If you get really strong winds, it makes it very challenging and you have to be very strategic with how you deploy your resources to try and get ahead of the problems and predict the areas that it might impinge upon especially when properties are involved.”
The cause of the Henday grass fire has not yet been determined.
Earlier Monday, there were two residential fires — one in central Edmonton at an apartment complex at which three people were injured.
The second happened in south Edmonton’s Terwillegar neighbourhood. Three homes were destroyed.
As of April 30, Edmonton has seen 185 brush, grass or wildland fires of varying sizes this year. Six of these fires have posed threats to nearby structures.
The city will emphasize compliance over enforcement.
“However, anyone who does not comply with the terms of the ban may be subject to fines or charges if the activity causes a safety issue,” the city said Tuesday in a news release. “A resultant fine may also include costs for emergency services.”
Dozens of Alberta municipalities have issued fire bans, including several communities around Edmonton like Strathcona County, Lamont, Leduc, Devon and Morinville.
“Care should always be exercised when dealing with any heat source, especially during dry and windy conditions like we’re currently experiencing,” an Edmonton Fire Rescue Services spokesperson said Monday.
“This care is especially important when it comes to the proper disposal of smoking materials: these types of fires can be prevented by using deep, non-combustible ashtrays that cigarettes and other materials can fall into. Water or sand can be added to these containers for extra measure.”
“Carelessly discarded smoking materials can have an especially devastating effect during these dry and windy conditions,” Lazenby added.
More safety information can be found at edmonton.ca/SmokingSafety.