There is a fire restriction in place for the Lac La Biche Forest Area.
Effective immediately, the Fire Advisory has been upgraded to a FIRE RESTRICTION. This means safe campfires are allowed in fire rings in campgrounds only. No open fires are allowed in backcountry or random camping areas. Fire permits are suspended and no new fire permits are being issued. All previous burning should be extinguished.
The fire restriction will be in place until conditions change. We are expecting hot and dry weather tomorrow. In addition a cold front with gusty winds will be crossing the area on Wednesday. The winds mean any fires that start will be difficult to control. If lightning accompanies the cold front, there could be additional wildfire danger.
Be particularly careful in the forest today and tomorrow. Use of quads is not recommended.
Here are some tips if you're working in the forest this week:
Quads and Off-highway vehicle (OHV) Use
- Defer any non-essential use.
- If you have to use a quad or OHV, stick to gravel roads.
- If you choose to use a quad or OHV, stop frequently to remove the debris from your machine's hot spots. Stomp on the debris until it is no longer hot or smouldering.
- Carry firefighting equipment with you at all times on the OHV – water, shovel, bucket.
Heavy Equipment
- Defer any non-essential use.
- Use an early shift configuration where operations stop at noon, before the heat of the day and the peak wildfire-burning period.
- Establish “Active Monitoring” practices – once you have completed operations with heavy equipment, stay in place and watch for sparks, flames or smoke for at least 30 minutes. This will help you make sure that any activities didn’t spark a wildfire.
Thanks for doing your part to prevent wildfire.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Leslie Lozinski
Forest Information Officer
780-623-9758