Wildfire season off to a slow start in Alberta as June rain drives down numbers

Alberta wildfires (file)

Alberta’s wildfire season has gotten off to a quieter start as the province enters the heat of mid-summer.

Since the start of January, 570 wlldfires have been detected through the province, burning about 17,000 hectares of forest.

It’s the lowest numbers the province has seen over the past five years, largely helped by high rain levels in June.

That relief has allowed Alberta Wildfire to send firefighters to help out in other parts of the country.

“We’ve been able to export personnel -- we’ve got 94 people in Ontario, crews in Quebec, we’ve got some people in the Northwest Territories and we’ve got some firefighters help fight the forest fires in Wood Buffalo National Park,” said Alberta Wildfire information officer Derrick Forsythe,

While it’s been a slow start, Forsythe says conditions are drying in the province, especially in the High Level area, as well as south and east of Calgary.

He said anyone camping or heading offroad should be careful so they don’t cause a fire through their own actions.