The current wildfire danger in the Calgary Forest Area (CFA) is LOW. With cool seasonal temperatures and snow remaining on the ground in most areas, the wildfire danger should remain low in the short term. It is too early to predict the severity of the 2023 season, as the greatest impact will be from late season snowfall and early spring rainfall amounts.
WILDFIRE SEASON STARTS MARCH 1
Starting today, fire permits are required for any burning, except campfires, in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. Fire permits help us to track what is burning on the landscape. If you're burning without a fire permit or outside fire permit conditions, your fire is considered a wildfire. By getting a permit you help keep our firefighters free to fight real wildfires instead of responding to the smoke from your brush piles. Fire permits are free and can be requested from the Calgary Forest Area main office by calling 403-297-8800.
Remember to revisit any winter burn piles. If they are still active please contact us as soon as possible.
When checking your winter burns, spread around any remaining debris so you can probe the area for hotspots. Use your bare hand to feel for heat over the ash piles. If you see smoke or feel heat, the fire is still burning. Douse any remaining hotspots with water and stir up the ashes. A fire is not out until there is absolutely no heat coming from the ashes.
Last wildfire season, 1,246 wildfires burned 130,858 hectares in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. Over 60 per cent of those wildfires were human-caused.
WILDFIRE SEASON PREPARATIONS
Preparations for the 2023 wildfire season in the CFA are well underway. The first wave of our seasonal wildland firefighters are completing fitness testing and will be in place next week. Equipment and specialized contracts are in place and facilities will begin to open to support wildfire season start up. Over the coming weeks and months, additional staff will be onboarding and aircraft and additional facilities will be coming online.
ACTIVE WILDFIRE IN THE CFA
The Dormer Wildfire, ANP-007 from the 2022 wildfire season remains BEING HELD. This wildfire has been monitored over the winter months and will be assessed in the spring. This wildfire is located in the Panther and is estimated at 669 hectares. Alberta Wildfire is working in conjunction with Parks Canada to manage this wildfire.
WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION THIS WILDFIRE SEASON
Download the Alberta Wildfire app today and get access to accurate, real-time information on wildfires in your area and across the Forest Protection Area.
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Bookmark albertafirebans.ca or download the Alberta Fire Bans app to access information on fire advisories, fire restrictions and fire bans in effect across the province.
MORE INFORMATION:
Anastasia Drummond
403-818-0938
anastasia.drummond@gov.ab.ca
RELATED INFORMATION
Websites:
- Alberta Wildfire
- Alberta Fire Bans
- FireSmart in Alberta
- Alberta Emergency Alerts
- Air Quality Health Index
- Wildfire Smoke and Your Health
- 511 Road Reports
- Emergency Preparation
Social Media:
