It’s been a busy spring for Edmonton firefighters. As of April 30, local crews have responded to 185 brush, grass and wildland fires in the city.
“As of April 30, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services has responded to 185 brush, grass or wildland fires in our city,” city manger Andre Corbould said Monday.
“Some have been highly visible — around the Hotel Macdonald and also along the Anthony Henday Drive. These serve as reminders of the threat we face.”
Corbould and the mayor urged all Edmontonians to obey the fire ban in place.
“It’s so dry out there that it doesn’t take much to start a fire,” Amarjeet Sohi said.
“We’re well within capacity with fire services in Edmonton. They’ve been busy but they’re using those normal shifts to deal with that,” Corbould said.
Like much of Alberta, Edmonton is dealing with an early fire season, compounded by hotter-than-usual temperatures, and dry and windy conditions.
“Absolutely this is a drier year than normal this early in May,” he said. “I would say we’ve had more fires this year compared to last year, for example, at this point in time.
“A lot of those 185 brush fires have been put out very effectively and very quickly by our incredible and great firefighters.”
He warned against making assumptions about how the brush fires are starting.
“I don’t think it’s right to jump to the conclusion that the fires we’ve had in the city are the result of encampments,” Corbould said.
“We know for a fact many of them have been started by humans with cigarettes and it’s not encampments.”
He said Edmonton’s encampment team continues to work with vulnerable people sleeping rough.
“We’re also talking to people who are in encampments, talking about the fire ban, talking about the risks of fire in those areas and quite frankly, we’re getting a lot of collaboration from folks,” Corbould said.
“There are other human causes to the fires throughout the city.”
Edmonton’s emergency advisory committee met Monday morning to discuss the wildfire situation but decided not to declare a local state of emergency.
The province declared a state of emergency on Saturday evening.
“We are well equipped to support the evacuees and we’re well prepared for any fire threat throughout the city,” Corbould said.
About 1,800 wildfire evacuees — mostly from Drayton Valley and Brazeau County — have registered at the reception centre at the EXPO Centre in Edmonton, he added, and about 1,300 pets.
Only about 40 are sleeping there at night, Corbould said. Most are accessing day services, like Red Cross, Alberta Health Services, insurance information and accommodation contacts.
While the fire situation across Alberta is critical, Edmonton can manage its local fire risk, the city manager said.
The city is also helping by providing some EFRS resources to neighbouring communities. The city has sent 12 crews and equipment to support the Entwistle, Yellowhead County and Strathcona County responses.
Edmonton officials were asked what would happen if a wildfire encroached on the city.
“It’s a difficult question to answer without knowing the specific details,” Corbould said. “We have a bunch of experts that would do that, led by the fire chief.
“There are all sorts of different things we can do, including asking for support from our neighbours. … They all said, ‘If you need our help in return, don’t hesitate to ask.'”