The wildfire hazard remains High to Extreme throughout Alberta. A FIRE BAN is now in place for the ENTIRE Forest Protection Area of Alberta and all counties, municipal districts and special areas such as provincial parks and recreation areas.
All fires are now prohibited. The only exception is contained fires fueled by liquid or gas used for cooking or heating (ie barbeques – no briquettes). Fireworks are also covered under the fire ban.
Any existing fires must be extinguished immediately.
The fire ban is in place as a result of the extreme fire hazard across the province. Every precaution needs to be taken to ensure no new preventable fires are started in the coming days that will put additional strain on the province's firefighting resources.
Those who choose who contravene the ban can be fined up to $5,000 under the Forest and Prairie Protection act, and can also be held liable for the costs of putting out a fire they start.
For more information call 1-866-FYI-FIRE (394-3473) or visit albertafirebans.ca
Most municipalities in the area also have firebans, restrictions or advisories in place. For more information on these and other advisories, restrictions and fire bans in the province, please visit www.albertafirebans.ca and check municipality websites for updates.
This Ministerial Order came into effect at 4:30 pm on the 5th day of May, 2016.
Provincial Wildfire Situation
- In the last 24 hours there have been 10 new wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.
- There are currently 41 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. Six are considered out of control, four are being held, 25 are under control and six have been turned over to the responsible party. More information
Rocky Forest Area Situation
- RWF-41 is under control at at 0.02 hectares south of the Brazeau Reservoir
OHV Restriction
A temporary province wide restriction on off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreational use on public lands and provincial parks has been issued. The OHV restriction will be in place until further notice. It applies to recreational use on public lands, including designated OHV trails, only. It will not apply to agriculture, public safety or commercial/industrial users who operate OHVs for farming, enforcement or business purposes. For more information visit the Alberta Environment and Parks website.
Evacuations
A number of evacuations are in effect across the province today. Please visit www.emergencyalert.alberta.ca for a listing of all evacuations currently in effect in Alberta.For information on how you can prepare yourself for the event that an evacuation is necessary, visit www.aema.alberta.ca/72-hour-emergency-kit.
Wildfire Preparation
Firefighters, heavy equipment, aircraft and support resources have all been strategically placed throughout the Peace River Forest Area in preparation for any new wildfire starts. Please call 310-FIRE to report wildfires as soon as possible so that these resources can be dispatched expediently.
Barry A. Shellian RPFT
Area Information Coordinator
Rocky Forest Area
Department of Agriculture and Forestry
P 403.845.8351
May the forest be with you