The Alberta government said its wildfire response tactics have been working well this season. At this point in time last year, Alberta had experienced 540 wildfires with about 1.3 million hectares burned. This year, Alberta has seen 386 wildfires and 128,000 hectares burned. “This is encouraging, but it’s also important to remember that we’re still in the early stages of wildfire season,” said Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen at a Thursday press conference. “Conditions in wildfire danger can change quickly.” Over the past week, Loewen said lightning storms changed conditions. Up until last week, he pointed out Alberta had one lightning-caused wildfire. However, Loewen confirmed six new wildfire starts were caused from lightning in the last week. As lightning becomes more prevalent during the wildfire season, he said it is “more important than ever that we do everything we can to prevent human-caused wildfires.” This is because these wildfires strain resources and personnel who are responding to multiple ones across Alberta.He said the best step Alberta can take is ensuring an effective response to these wildfires is provide ample capacity to combat them. If Albertans engage in safe outdoor practices, he predicted firefighters will be more effective at combating larger, more complex fires. Loewen concluded by saying Albertans should download the AB Wildfire Status, Alberta Fire Bans, and Alberta Emergency Alert apps. These apps have the most updated information. Alberta Wildfire Information Unit Manager Christie Tucker said there are 26 wildfires burning in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta (FPAA). “Of those, two are being held, one is out of control, and the rest are under control,” said Tucker. At the moment, Tucker said the Fort McMurray Forest Area has seen the most area burned, which has counted 27 wildfires that have burned 27,000 hectares. For the most part, this stems from wildfire MWF017, which was classified as under control on Monday. The Alberta government said on May 23 the hard work and preparation from Alberta Wildfire allowed it to take advantage of the recent rain, which has led to a significant decline in wildfires. READ MORE: Alberta government says wildfire status continuing to improveAt the time, 30 wildfires were burning in the FPAA. Twenty of those wildfires carried over from the 2023 season, and all of them were under control or being held. “There’s a wildfire that started in the Northwest Territories in 2023 that’s still burning along the border north of High Level, and both Alberta and the Northwest Territories are actively fighting this wildfire,” said Loewen.
