In like a lion — that’s how Alberta’s wildfire season is shaping up.It’s not even March and the Alberta government has issued the first wildfire advisories barely two days after declaring an early start to the season that typically runs from March 1 to October 31.New fire advisories went into effect in the High Level, Peace River, Grande Prairie, Whitecourt and Lac La Biche forest areas on Thursday due to what the Alberta Wildfire service is calling “dry and windy conditions.”Those are in addition to some two dozen advisories that were already in place, some going as far back as last spring, due to fires that continued to burn under the snow pack..A fire advisory is different from from a fire restriction or outright ban, but it means no new burning permits will be issued and existing ones can be suspended or cancelled at short notice. So-called ‘safe’ campfires in designated campgrounds are still allowed under an advisory.“Our objective is to prevent human-caused wildfires,” Josee St-Onge, a provincial information officer with Alberta Wildfire told Global News. “Fire advisories also signal to Albertans that current conditions are conducive to new wildfires and that the fire danger is increasing.”.On Tuesday, the UCP government declared the start of the 2024 wildfire season 10 days earlier than usual, citing the low snowpack and dry weather. Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said the province would hire an additional 100 wildland firefighters on top of the 900 that are to be deployed by April 15. Loewen also said his department would be more “proactive” on fire restrictions throughout the year and implementing outright bans in a bid to prevent human-caused blazes.But the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association said on Thursday it is concerned the extra commitment may be too little, too late.“Minister Loewen’s announcement of 900 wildfire firefighters by April 15th is a step in the right direction; however, we are apprehensive that this may not suffice or be soon enough,” it said in a statement..Government officials have plenty of reason to be concerned. Last year more than 2.2 million hectares burned in Alberta, the most in its history. Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes, often for weeks at a time.Lingering drought conditions mean conditions are actually drier this year than it was last spring.According to the government’s website, there are already 57 fires burning in Alberta as of Friday morning, 37 of which are still smouldering from last year.
