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From local grass fires near the train tracks to forest blazes that can reduce thousands of acres of trees into smoldering ruin, one little flame can change lives.
During very dry local conditions and high winds, local Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) officials and area fire department members are cautioning the public to be very careful.
Dry conditions have already led to several grass fires throughout the Lac La Biche region this spring, including a 33-hectare blaze this week near Conklin and a smaller burn by Portage College residences. Both fires are believed to be man-caused.
“This is prime time for grass fires to ignite, from burning barrels and even dry grass caught in wheels of ATVs,” said Leslie Lozinski, a forest information officer from SRD. The dry conditions are made worse by high winds which can carry sparks and cause fires to grow rapidly.
Lac La Biche Fire Department Captain Shane Bair echoed the thoughts of Lozinski stipulating that a warm week makes for a very busy week for local firefighters.
“We are very grateful that the community is active in reporting fires, with the dry, warm conditions it is very helpful to receive calls from residents,” he said.
For the last week, the wind has forced local fire officials to put recreational burning on hold within the Forest Protection Area, as no new permits will be issued and existing permits have been cancelled until the wind subsides.
Lac La Biche County officials have issued a fire permit for all areas outside of the Forest Protection Area. There is no burning, including campfires, when a fire ban is in place, and in most cases, when winds are blowing steadily in excess of 15 km/hour permit issuance is examined.
Fire permits are not being issued for the Lac La Biche region of the Forest Protection area. If you have an existing permit, check the conditions on the back.
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Many counties and MDs have firebans in place.
Check www.albertafirebans.ca for more information or go to the Post’s facebook site or website at www.laclabichepost.com.
Currently, there is a 1,000-hectare wildfire burning out of control northwest of Grassland, another out of control blaze near Bonnyville that is 650 hectares, as well as a smaller wildfire classified as under control in northern Lac La Biche County.
SRD currently has 12 crews, nine helicopters, 7 water trucks and other equipment and personnel on hand to help keep the region under control. Since April 1, the Lac La Biche Area has recorded 48 wildfires, the second highest amount of fires in the province behind 57 fires in High Level.
SRD officials are also asking residents to check their previous winter burns, as the sudden increase in wind could easily cause these fires to reignite.
“Now is definitely a good time to check your winter burns, winds like the ones we had this week are good at stirring up fires you might have thought were already extinguished,” Lozinski said.
