Dry conditions prompted the City of Calgary to issue a fire advisory Tuesday morning that could potentially be increased to restrictions or a ban in the coming days.
According to city officials, the risk of fire is currently considered moderate but carries the potential to increase in danger given the warm, windy weather and limited precipitation.
Glenn Baxter, City of Calgary fire marshal, encourages all Calgarians to be vigilant when disposing of smoking materials or when using any outdoor flames. As of Tuesday, there are no restrictions in place in Calgary on the use of fire pits, chimeneas, barbecues or other forms of open-flame devices.
The advisory comes as wildfires continue to devastate communities throughout northern and central Alberta, and the smoke from the blazes has caused a deterioration in air quality in southern sections of the province including Calgary.
As of Tuesday morning, the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) for the City of Calgary was rated as 10+, considered very high risk.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) encourages children, the elderly, expectant mothers and people with heart, lung or other chronic health conditions to avoid outdoor physical activities.
For additional information on wildfire smoke-related health concerns, visit My Health Alberta’s wildfire smoke and your health.
Both the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) and Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) say the principals of each school determine whether students will spend time outside based on local conditions, but each principal is encouraged to consider indoor recess and lunch supervision for all students when the AQHI exceeds 10.
The CCSD postponed all of its outdoor junior and senior high athletic events scheduled for Tuesday due to air quality concerns.
Professional athletes are not immune from the symptoms of poor air quality and the Calgary Stampeders moved the team’s practice indoors Tuesday in response to the wildfire smoke.
A report compiled for the City of Calgary on emergency preparedness regarding heat-related risks, released on May 4, showed a significant increase, beginning in 2015 and continuing in the years that followed, in the average number of smoke hours Calgary experiences each year. The report indicated wildfire smoke arrived in Calgary more frequently, due to the increase in wildfires, and with greater intensity in the last eight years.