Wildfire season has hit full swing in the MD of Bonnyville with Bonnyville Regional firefighters keeping very busy, already extinguishing several brush and grass fires in the area and issuing a fire advisory for the first time this season last week.
Wildfire season has hit full swing in the MD of Bonnyville with Bonnyville Regional firefighters keeping very busy, already extinguishing several brush and grass fires in the area and issuing a fire advisory for the first time this season last week.
As of Monday, the fire department's updated fire advisory included suspending all existing fire permits and they have stopped issuing new ones.
"At this point here we are monitoring weather conditions at least twice a day. Keeping track of the information provided by the Alberta forest service and adjusting our advisories accordingly," said Regional Fire Chief Brian McEvoy. "The best things we can do is educate the public and have them be on watch and be careful. This time of year, with these weather conditions, it doesn't take much to spark a fire that could become very big."
All of the fires that have happened this year have been human-caused fires, said McEvoy.
"Human-caused fires can be anything from a dropped cigarette, to an unattended burn barrel, to embers falling off the exhaust manifolds of all-terrain vehicles," he explained.
Last year, there was a large wildfire northwest of Bonnyville, near Forsyth Lake, that burnt over 750 hectares of land over more than a month. It was one of several larger fires in Alberta that required residential evacuation orders last year.
"We have had some big fires," said McEvoy. "It's not that we are getting more fires, but with the weather conditions and the dryness in the area the severity of the fires are increasing."
This year, there was another fire near Forsyth Lake, separate from last year's wildfire in the same area, though McEvoy said fires can remain dormant over months and even years and then reignite when the conditions are right.
McEvoy gave some basic tips on how to avoid fires in the region saying, citizens should monitor weather conditions and be extremely careful with any open flames when it's hot and dry out. Smokers should make sure they dispose of their cigarettes in a safe manner. Anyone using a burn barrel should make sure there is a screen on it and monitor it closely. Residents who did any winter burning of brush piles should be checking them regularly to make sure they don't reignite.
"We had a large fire north of Minnie Lake that resulted from wind getting into old brush piles that were burnt in the beginning of March," he explained. "Wind can get in to them and find embers and start fanning those embers (into flames)."
He also reminded people working with tools that create sparks to be sure to have a fire extinguisher handy and that somebody is on hand to watch just in case the sparks ignite the grass.
With spring arriving a little later than usual, the fire department is expecting the fire season to run a little later into the year.
The fire department will be monitoring the weather over the course of the week and will be updating the fire advisory before the long weekend. Updates will be posted on the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority and MD of Bonnyville websites.
"We are hoping that we get some rain and some green up before the May long weekend so that we don't have to consider total fire bans," said McEvoy.
