Smoke fills the air today in the Peace River wildfire Management Area from wildfires burning in British Columbia, expected smoke to continue drifting into the area for the next few days. Anyone with health concerns should check the Alberta health services website or call 811 for 24/7 health advise from health link Alberta. For a smoke forecast map please visit Wildfire Smoke Forecasts for Western Canada
Strong gusting winds are expected to continue. High winds can cause extreme fire behavior and allow fires to grow rapidly. Residents and visitors to the Peace River Wildfire Management Area are urged to be extra cautious with any burning at this time.
Winds over 20 km/hr with gusts up to 40 km/hr and higher temperatures will keep the wildfire hazard High for the next several days in the Peace River area. Please help us action wildfires quickly by calling 310-FIRE to report a wildfire.
BEFORE YOU BURN IT, GET YOUR PERMIT
Albertans in the forested areas need to get a fire permit for any burning, excluding campfires. Fire permits are free and you can get more information or request a fire permit by calling the Peace River office at 780-624-6190. Please call a week in advance of when you would like to burn in order to give our staff time to make arrangements to come out to your site and issue your permit. In order to further ease the process, please have your site ready according to the burning site guidelines. before staff arrive. All permits must be completely extinguished before they expire, so if you need an extension, please make sure to call in for one well before your permit expires. Please visit www.albertafirebans.ca to ensure that there is no fire ban or restriction in your area before burning.
PLEASE NOTE: All fire permits for heavy fuel (e.g., brush piles, and windrows) will be evaluated on a site by site basis and may be refused until further notice.
For information about wildfires in Alberta follow us on Twitter @ABGovWildfire or Facebook. Download the Alberta Wildfire app for Apple and Android devices.
Kelly Burke | Wildfire Information Officer
780-538-5327 (office) | 780-832-7235 (mobile)