Fire threats throughout Alberta precarious, dozens of fire bans in effect

CTV Edmonton: Fire threat in parts of province ext In many parts of our province, the fire threat is considered high to extreme, and there are dozens of fire bans or advisories.

While an out of control wildfire in west-central Alberta still has residents on edge, with a one-hour evacuation notice still in effect, officials in dozens of regions throughout the province are taking preventative measures.

There are nearly 70 fire bans or advisories in place throughout the province, and the situation could get worse as temperatures are expected to continue to heat up over the weekend.

The bans and advisories are mostly due to dry and windy conditions, which are prime for the spread of wildfires – although some jurisdictions aren’t seeing the same problems.

In Strathcona County, a fire ban has been in effect since Tuesday – while only a few kilometres away, Elk Island National Park is not facing the same problems.

In the park, where snow and standing water remain on the ground, the fire hazard is considered moderate, and no ban or advisory has been called.

“We’re up higher, this is part of Beaver Hills,” Elk Island National Park Superintendent Steven Fleming said. “It’s kind of like a reservoir for the whole area.”

In drier parts of the province, there are currently 17 active wildfires, two of those were considered out of control Friday.

According to officials, 15 of the total fires started in the last 24 hours, and many of them are caused by human activity.

However, some of the blazes actually started in 2012.

“They burned over the winter, smouldered underground.” Wildfire Information Officer Geoffrey Driscoll said. “And when this big wind comes up, when it becomes dry, what we’re seeing is these fires come back up and they turn into wildfires.”

With 158 wildfires so far this year, crews aren’t dealing with quite the same sized workload they were handling at this time in 2012 – when they faced 223 wildfires.

Nordegg wildfire not improving

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development said the wildfire burning southwest of Nordegg is still out of control – as of early Friday morning.

The blaze had grown overnight to about 100 hectares, and about 75 firefighters, heavy equipment and aircraft were working on getting the upper hand on the fire.

The fire is within a few kilometres of Nordegg, and officials at Clearwater County issued a one-hour evacuation notice Thursday to the residents of that hamlet.

"There is no imminent threat to the community, which is still approximately three kilometres away," Clearwater County official Ron Leaf said. "The actions we are taking for the residents are proactive and precautionary in nature."

In addition, Forestry Trunk Road in the area was closed, between the north fork and Highway 11 – officials said the road will reopen when conditions improve.

More information on the wildfire situation in Alberta can be found by clicking this link.

With files from Veronica Jubinville