Alberta government provides first weekly update on wildfire activity for 2024

The Alberta government said it will be holding weekly updates about wildfires to ensure Albertans stay informed as the season develops. To date in 2024, the Alberta government has documented more wildfire starts than it had in 2023. “All wildfires are currently being held, under control, or are extinguished,” said Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen at a Thursday press conference. “Early season hiring and increased preparedness has enabled us to come at this wildfire season very strong.” At present, Loewen said Alberta has 297 government wildland firefighters, 280 Firetack ones and 172 seasonal support staff in addition to regular permanent full-time staff. He added the Alberta government will be increasing numbers weekly to ensure it is ready to respond to wildfires. It has secured contracts for air tankers, night vision-equipped helicopters, heavy equipment, hoses, pumps, drones and sprinklers. Additionally, it has increased its ability to fight wildfires at night, allowing it to be more effective with its efforts. He said the Alberta government has adopted a proactive approach to community wildfire resilience through programs such as the Community Fireguard Program and FireSmart. While wildfire starts are up, he said firefighters had extinguished 148 fires since the beginning of 2024. It has engaged with communities and municipalities about their needs for the wildfire season. To prepare for it, it has collaborated with fire departments and industry partners to ensure safe operations during high-risk periods. However, he said it “is still important every Albertan do their part against wildfires.” Over the past five years, he pointed out two-thirds of wildfires in Alberta have been caused by people. He called for people to not cause wildfires this season. To reduce wildfires, he started the season early and is using fire restrictions and advisories as the risk increases. It has increased its communication efforts through billboards, radio ads and online tools to remind Albertans about the risks of wildfires and reinforce fire safety. He encouraged people to download the AB Wildfire Status and Alberta Fire Bans apps and check the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard to understand what is going on. Yellowhead County had a fire on Tuesday. He applauded Yellowhead County Fire Department, industry and wildfire teams for the timely manner they brought the fire under control. The RCMP National Security Investigation Team is investigating the cause. If people work together, stay vigilant, and ensure proactive measures are taken, Loewen said they can protect communities and forests from wildfire impacts. Alberta Wildfire Information Unit Manager Christie Tucker said there are 50 wildfires burning across the province. “Of those, four are classified as being held and 46 are now under control,” said Tucker. “As the minister said, thanks to the work of firefighters and a layer of snow, a wildfire that started on Tuesday north of Obed Lake is now under control.” While there is a temporary difference in temperatures this week, Tucker said it does not mean wildfire dangers are over. The long-term drought conditions in Alberta mean it is possible for trees and grass to burn, particularly because of high winds. Loewen followed up by saying the amount of human-caused fires motivated him to launch advertising campaigns, as it would get this information out to people and enable them to understand their dangers. “That led us to understand we really need to take a real proactive approach when it comes to informing the public and making sure they’re aware,” he said. “So far we’re hearing things about the response and that people are really noticing it.” Since people are responding, he said that is great. If human-caused fires can be avoided, he predicted it “can free up our manpower to work on fires that are caused by lightning.” Alberta NDP MLA Heather Sweet (Edmonton-Manning) responded to the briefing by saying the statistics for wildfires are concerning. “It’s only April 18th and we’re still experiencing snow and sleet across the province and yet we have 50 current active wildfires and more hectares burned than in record history,” said Sweet. “Communities already faced evacuation.” At the moment, Sweet said the Alberta United Conservative Party is behind on preparing communities for the wildfire season. She said dry weather will spell worse conditions than what was seen last year, which was a record-breaking year. The Alberta government said in February Budget 2024 protects the environment and safeguards communities and the economy from challenges such as wildfires, floods and droughts. READ MORE: ALBERTA BUDGET 2024: Preparing for natural disasters“We have a responsible plan that will help protect Albertans and their communities from situations like natural disasters,” said Alberta Treasury Board President and Finance Minister Nate Horner. “Ensuring Alberta can continue on its path of growth and prosperity was at top of mind developing Budget 2024.” .Due to a high level of spam content being posted in our comment section below, all comments undergo manual approval by a staff member during regular business hours (Monday - Friday). Your patience is appreciated.