‘Crews are working around the clock to beat the heat of the day and make progress on containing these wildfires’
Alberta is receiving some help as 120 firefighters from outside the province will arrive to battle close to 100 wildfires.
Meanwhile, several fire bans are in place, the province announced Thursday, advising residents to remain cautious about starting new fires in their community.
Nearly 30 of those conflagrations are classified as out of control, and three threaten public safety, said Melissa Story, information officer at Alberta Wildfire. More than half of the wildfires that began in the past two weeks were caused by lightning.
The province has recorded more than 700 wildfires that have burned over 200,000 hectares this year. That number, Story said, is a fraction of the destruction experienced last year, when flames swallowed more than two million hectares.
“Spring was cool and wet in Alberta this year, which kept the number of wildfires and hectares burned below our average,” Story said. “With the increase in temperature, we are now inching closer to our five-year average for hectares burned.”
She added the heat in July has fuelled the flames, making it harder for firefighters to control them.
Fire bans, advisories in place throughout Alberta
Dryer weather has also made it easier for the fire to spread. As a result, several communities have instated a fire ban. The province has activated a similar ban for the entire fire protection area, comprising public land, private land designated campgrounds and backyard fire pits.
Meanwhile, regions including Canmore and Kananaskis Country have forbidden residents from starting a fire. Rocky View County issued a fire advisory on Wednesday banning all burning in all places and of all kinds, with a few exceptions such as burning barrels, camp stoves, chimneys, incinerators, indoor household fireplaces and propane or natural gas fire pits.
Closer to Calgary, Cochrane and Foothill County issued fire advisories that allowed open fires but requested residents to remain vigilant.
Meanwhile, last week Calgary relaxed a fire ban instated to address a ruptured feeder main that threatened water supply across the city. A city spokesperson said the Calgary Fire Department will not enact a fire ban, although it continues to monitor fire conditions and weather forecasts.
‘High alert’ as lightning could start new fires: meteorologist
Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the heat wave in southern Alberta will last until Thursday, after which cooler air will flow into Alberta, potentially causing storm conditions.
Cooler air might be a reprieve for fighting current fires. However, Story said such conditions also bring lightning that could spark additional conflagrations.
“We are on high alert in those areas where we are expecting to see storm activity so that we can catch these wildfires as soon as they start when they’re small and they’re more manageable,” Story said.
The province announced Thursday that Little Red River Cree Nation declared a state of local emergency the previous day and successfully evacuated 981 residents from Garden River.
Story said no more communities are threatened at the moment, although her team is keeping an eye out for wildfires close to Fort McMurray. “Most of the fires are 50-plus kilometers away from the actual city of Fort McMurray,” she said.
To tame these fires, more than 100 firefighters and 43 overhead staff from Ontario and 20 firefighters and six overhead staff from New Brunswick, all of whom are members of the Canadian Forest Fire Interagency Centre, will arrive in the province.