Fire ban blankets much of Alberta as danger hits high to extreme levels

Officials are warning Albertans to take extra precautions as a fire ban blankets much of the province and danger ratings hit high to extreme levels.

Wildfire officials are warning Albertans to take precautions as a fire ban blankets much of the province and danger ratings hit high to extreme levels.

Dry conditions and warmer temperatures have prompted the Government of Alberta to issue a fire ban for the entire Forest Protection Area (FPA) of Alberta, which covers over 60 per cent of the province’s landmass.

Alberta’s FPA primarily includes the Rocky Mountains and Foothills in the west, the Boreal Forest in the north and northeast, along with large swaths of central Alberta.

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Under the order, all outdoor wood fires are prohibited, and existing fire permits are suspended. Propane fire pits and natural gas appliances are allowed along with indoor wood fires and open-flame oil devices, but the ban outdoors will remain in effect until conditions improve.

Anastasia Drummond, a fire information officer for the Calgary Forest Area, says everyone needs to do their part in making sure they take these precautions seriously.

“We’re really asking everyone to follow the rules of this fire ban. With the extreme amount of fire that we’ve been seeing in northern areas, we’d like to keep the resources where they are right now instead of responding to preventable fires,” she said.

“We haven’t seen the very extreme conditions the northern part of the province has seen, but the fire danger is climbing; we haven’t seen as much precipitation as we’d like to.”

Talia Zink was camping in Kananaskis Country on Friday. Speaking with CTV News, she says although campfires are a big part of the experience, safety is much more important.

“It’s a bit unfortunate that there’s a fire ban, but at the same time I think it’s all of our responsibility to be able to pivot to protect the environment,” said Zink.

“So we’ve created a situation where climate change is a reality, and it’s all of our responsibility to respond to that.”

Other campers like Bill Finnemore agree that devastation from wildfires in the past just isn’t worth the risk.

“It’s nice to have a campfire when we’re out camping, but it’s also nice not having the air filled with smoke from forest fires, especially right now when it’s particularly windy,” he said.

“It’s very important to us to prevent forest fires. We’ve driven right across Alberta, over into B.C., and two years ago, we were driving through smoke and flames on our way to Victoria, so we can still see the devastation.”

No ban, but ‘extreme’ fire danger in Banff National Park

While there is not a fire ban for Banff National Park, the fire danger rating for the area has now been classified as “extreme.”

Officials with Parks Canada note that this rating means fires will ignite easier, spread quickly and burn intensely, making them much more difficult for firefighters to control.

Campers are asked to only have campfires in designated fire pits, keep them small, completely extinguish campfires after each use and properly dispose of cigarettes in receptacles.

Parks Canada says Banff National Park is under fire restrictions year-round, meaning campfires in the national park are only permitted in metal fire pits provided by Parks Canada. Random fires are never allowed.

“Fire bans are based on the local fire danger, current and forecasted weather conditions, the amount of moisture in vegetation, the regional wildfire situation, and the availability of responders and equipment,” Parks Canada said.

Report any wildfires, illegal campfires, or suspicious smoke to Parks Canada emergency dispatch at 403-762-1470. Anyone in immediate danger should call 911.

G7 officials prepare for wildfire risk

Security officials at the G7 Leaders Summit in Kananaskis say plans are in place, including the possibility of evacuations, if wildfires become a serious threat later this month.

Kananaskis, located about an hour west of Calgary, is in the foothills and front ranges of the Rocky Mountains. Its western edge borders Banff National Park and the Alberta-B.C. boundary.

Its remote location is considered to be ideal from a security standpoint for the meeting of the leaders from Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as the European Union, from June 15 to 17.

But with an explosion of wildfires in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and northern Alberta, a contingency plan is in place if the situation moves south.

“Wildfire has been part of our planning since the summit was announced here in Alberta,” said RCMP Chief Supt. David Hall, an event security director for the Integrated Safety and Security Group, in a recent briefing.

Hall’s comments come as more than 30,000 people in Manitoba and Saskatchewan have been forced to leave their homes as wildfires threaten their communities.

“Our plans incorporate the potential that we may need to evacuate the summit site; we may need to deal with evacuations that are ongoing around the summit,” said Hall.

“So maybe the summit itself is not of concern, but there are evacuations in communities that might affect road access and those types of things.”

Wildfires burned an estimated 22,000 square kilometres in Alberta in 2023. Last year, a fire tore through Jasper National Park in July, burning about a third of the homes and businesses in the community and forcing the evacuation of residents.

Hall said with the fire outbreaks in the three prairie provinces, it could have an effect on resources available for G7.

“I would just say that all of our respective agencies are mindful of the wildfire threat nationally and how that may draw resources from the security partners to support evacuations like we’re seeing in Manitoba or Saskatchewan now or parts of Alberta,” Hall said.

With files from The Canadian Press