A fire restriction is now in effect for all of the Edson Forest Area. No campfires on crown land are permitted and all fire permits are suspended or cancelled.
Six of the seven carry over wildfires from the 2023 season are now classified as extinguished and will not be showing on the map.
Use extreme caution if you are doing any work that will produce a spark, friction or hot exhaust. Wildfires will catch easily and burn quickly under these conditions.
If you see smoke or flame in the forest and suspect it's a wildfire, call 310-FIRE.
This update is best viewed on a web browser or the AB Wildfire Status App | To view previous Edson Forest Area Updates - Click here. Bold indicates new or important information.
Six of the seven carry over wildfires are now extinguished. AB Wildfire, the Town of Edson and Yellowhead County would like to thank the residents for their dedication and perseverance during this past year (April 23, 2024)
FIRE RESTRICTION IN EFFECT
Human-caused wildfires are entirely preventable. Use extreme caution if you are doing any work that will produce a spark, friction or hot exhaust. A fire will quickly spread in dry and dead grass. If you’re using your OHV, remember to stop often, cool down your machine and check your hotspots. Grass can get stuck in the hot areas of your OHV, heat up and start a wildfire when it falls to the ground.
Under this restriction:
- Existing fire permits are restricted, suspended or cancelled and no new fire permits will be issued.
- Safe wood campfires within fire rings in campgrounds are allowed.
Prohibited on public lands, including backcountry and random camping areas:
- All outdoor wood fires.
- Fires fueled exclusively by charcoal briquettes.
- The use of fireworks and exploding targets.
Allowed in designated campgrounds on private and public land, designated day use areas and on privately owned land:
- Safe wood campfires.
- Backyard fire pits, charcoal briquette barbeques.
- Propane/ natural gas-powered appliances CSA approved or UL certified
The fire restriction will remain in effect until conditions improve. To view restriction boundaries, visit AlbertaFireBans.ca.
THREE CARRY OVER WILDFIRES NOW CLASSIFIED AS EXTINGUISHED
As of today, six of the seven carry over wildfires from 2023 are fully extinguished. Wildfires EWF031 (Edson), EWF039 (Carrot Creek) and the Wildhay wildfire complex are classified as extinguished.
Alberta Wildfire firefighters performed patrols and extinguished hotspots throughout the winter. Once snow melted and conditions allowed, extensive high level heat scans were conducted using aircraft. These scans showed no hotspots on the three wildfires listed above. Wildfires WCU001 (Evansburg), WCU002 (Wildwood),
Wildfires EWF035 (Shiningbank) were extinguished on April 19, 2024 after also being scanned for hotspots. EWF076 will be scanned as soon as conditions allow.
JOINT MESSAGE FROM THE TOWN of EDSON, YELLOWHEAD COUNTY AND AB WILDFIRE
We would like to acknowledge all the hard work and dedication of our firefighters and support organizations during last year’s wildfires.
The provincial and municipal crews worked seamlessly during this time and achieved amazing results and put in enormous amounts of extra time and effort in all aspects of our operations.
We would also like to acknowledge our residents for their resiliency. Their determination, understanding, and cooperation during this difficult time was a crucial part in helping our crews fight these wildfires. Our focus continues to be the safety of our residents as we move into this year’s wildfire season.
We encourage the public to look for opportunities to protect their properties from wildfire, your efforts can help protect your homes and help protect our first responders. FireSmart is more than a collection of best-practices, programs, resources, and tools. FireSmart is a way of living with and managing the risk of wildfire. It is a shared responsibility between government, community leaders, neighbourhoods, and residents. Together, we can build a wildfire resilient Alberta. A FireSmart Alberta.
Thank you to all the firefighters, residents, and everyone else who persevered through the events of last spring’s wildfires in our region and all those who supported our community.
EDSON FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE
The wildfire danger in the Edson Forest Area remains HIGH. This means that forest fuels like grass and branches are dry and fire risk is serious. Moderate to vigorous surface fire is expected, which may spread to treetops. Conditions may be challenging for fire suppression efforts. Keep watch of your surroundings when working outside. Sparks, hot exhaust or friction can ignite a wildfire in the exposed dry grass and vegetation.
Since January 1, 2024, there have been 20 wildfires in the Edson Forest Area burning a total of 69 ha. EWF017 was caused by an abandoned campfire near Millers Lake and detected on April 19. Do not leave your campfire unattended and ensure you fully extinguish it before you leave the site. An abandoned campfire can start a wildfire and under these conditions, will burn quickly.
Visit our website and click on the interactive map to view active wildfires, their locations and stats on the wildfire dashboard.
ACTIVE WILDFIRES IN THE EDSON FOREST AREA
EWF015 is classified as UNDER CONTROL. This means that the wildfire is completely contained and will be extinguished. The wildfire is located 35 km northwest of Edson and 55 km northeast of Hinton (north of the intersection of the Swanson Road and the Emerson Road). To view this wildfire on our interactive map, click here and follow the active wildfire link. The wildfire is estimated to be 60 ha in size. You can also see the public map by clicking here. Firefighters will continue to monitor this wildfire until they are confident it's fully extinguished.
This wildfire does not pose a threat to any community. The cause of the wildfire remains under investigation.
Visit TC Energy's website for additional information: https://www.tcenergy.com/newsroom/statements/
PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE
Since January 1, 2024 in the Forest Protection Area, there have been 205 wildfires burning a total of 755 ha.
Last year during this week, there had been 130 wildfires that burnt a total of 437 ha. In the past 5 years on this date, an average of 113 wildfires burnt an average of 192 ha.
FIRE PERMITS ARE REQUIRED
All burning within the Forest Protection Area of Alberta requires a burn permit, with the exception of campfire. At this time, the Edson Forest Area is not issuing any new burn permits and all existing permits have been suspended or cancelled.
FIRESMART YOUR HOME
More so than ever before, Canadians are feeling the direct and indirect impacts of wildfire. There is a growing need for FireSmart education. FireSmart Canada has developed a FREE one-hour course for those who are getting started with FireSmart and want to learn more.
Follow the link: https://firesmartalberta.ca/training/
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT PERSONNEL WANTED
The Forest Area is looking for administrative support personnel. Two positions are available in Edson. Our administrative positions provide support to a wide range of operations within the Government of Alberta. To learn more about the position or to apply, click here.
JOIN ALBERTA WILDFIRE AT THE EDSON AND DISTRIC TRADE SHOW
Join us at the Edson Trade Show this Friday and Saturday. Take the opportunity to chat with both wildfire and forestry professionals, learn some great wildfire prevention tips, FireSmart advice and take home your own seedling to celebrate AB Forest Week! Visit their website to learn more: Trade Show - Edson Chamber of Commerce.
WILDFIRE PREVENTION TIPS & TOOLS
Albertans are always asked to use caution when working or recreating in the outdoors:
- Before you burn it, get your fire permit. Fire permits in Alberta.
- Clear debris from hot spots on your off-highway vehicle.
- Ensure your campfire is out - soak it, stir it, soak it again.
- Before you head out this weekend, check out the albertafirebans.ca website or download the app to stay informed.
- For road closure information, please visit 511.alberta.ca
- For information regarding smoke in the area, you can visit firesmoke.ca
- NASA FIRMS Fire Information website is a great resource to give an idea of the location of wildfires in the area, but note that the data is based on interpolation and often can make the wildfire look larger then it actually is.
- To view the provincial wildfire danger map, click here.
ALBERTA WILDFIRE INFORMATION
- Subscribe to the Edson Forest Area wildfire update to receive an email when new information is posted.
- Download the Alberta Wildfire App for Apple and Android device.
- Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more information, please contact:
