Wildfire season officially ended on October 31. Fire permits are no longer required until the next season on March 1.
Please ensure you fully extinguish your campfire, including your small cooking and warming fire. Soak the ashes, stir them and soak them again until they're cool to the touch.
If you see smoke or flame in the forest and suspect it's a wildfire, call 310-FIRE.
Ensure you place your cooking or warming campfire on bare mineral soil, away from dry vegetation and cause a wildfire.
This update is best viewed on a web browser or the AB Wildfire Status App | To view previous Edson Forest Area Updates - Click here.
ENSURE YOU FULLY EXTINGUISH YOUR COOKING & WARMING FIRES
The Edson Forest Area responded to several wildfires this week that may have been caused by a warming campfire.
Cooking and warming fires are common this time of year and firefighters often find them unattended or abandoned. We believe this may be unintentional because the public doesn't understand the risk these fires pose. Cooking and warming fires are slightly different from campfires because they're used for a short period of time and the hunter or recreationalist will often leave the area soon after. If you're having a cooking or warming fire during your hunt or ride, please be familiar with building it safely and how to properly extinguish it.
We recommend using an existing fire receptacle if possible, otherwise, choose a location that's on level ground, sheltered from the wind and on bare mineral soil. If you build your fire on peat or top soil, you risk creating a deep burning fire that could be challenging to extinguish. Keep it away from dry grass, leaves or branches and keep water close by. Be mindful that if you build it on snow, the fire can still burn into the ground and smoulder for a long period of time. The snow could also melt later that day, exposing dry vegetation.
Before you leave, ensure you fully extinguish the fire, otherwise it could smoulder under ground for days or even weeks and resurface when the conditions are right for a wildfire. Your fire isn't fully extinguished until the burnt wood and ashes are cool to the touch.
To learn more about campfire safety, visit our website by clicking here.
FIRESMART COMMUNITY PREPARDNESS DAY
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a national campaign that encourages citizens to take actions that increase their home, neighbourhood and community’s resilience to wildfire.
Residents of all ages all over the country are encouraged to come together at any time from May to October to host events and work on projects that raise awareness of wildfire risk and increase their resilience to it.
Groups can also apply for a $500 award to fund their Prep Day events. FireSmart™ Canada, in collaboration with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), and The Co-operators supports this annual event by offering the $500 award. This year, FireSmart Canada awarded more recipients than ever before. In 2023, 230 neighbourhoods in 10 provinces and two territories received an award, compared to 162 neighbourhoods in 2022.
Deadline to apply: January 31, 2024.
END OF WILDFIRE SEASON
The wildfire season in Alberta has officially ended. To date this year, there were 86 wildfires in the Edson Forest Area and 53 of them were human-caused, representing 60 per cent. At this time last year, there had been 110 wildfires and 87 of them were human-caused, representing 79 per cent. At the provincial level, there were 1,097 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, compared to 1,276 last year.
A total of 234,558 hectares (ha) were burnt so far this year in the Edson Forest Area, compared to 60 ha last year.
On average, the total number of human-caused wildfires in Alberta has been declining in the past five years, highlighting the importance of continued prevention work. We thank all of those that did their part in preventing wildfires and ask that the public and industry continue to use safe burning practices in the coming months. We want to remind everyone that the conditions are still right for a wildfire and the risk could be present year-round depending on weather conditions and snow levels.
PERMITS ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED UNTIL MARCH 1
While fire permits are not required for burning outside of wildfire season in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. Residents and industry planning a burn during winter should keep safe burning practices top of mind and follow Alberta Wildfire’s guidelines. These include some of the following:
- Carefully select your burn site and do not burn until you have good snow cover in the area (more than 15 cm).
- Check weather conditions and refrain from burning when an inversion is in place or is forecasted. Consult your local municipality on how to safely undertake larger winter burning projects near communities or roads.
- Actively manage burn projects to reduce total burning time.
- Burn debris in stages so that you can adapt to changing weather conditions and reduce smoke.
- Ensure you have the right tools, water and equipment on hand to keep the burn under control.
To assist the Edson Forest Area, please let us know if you plan any large scale winter burning by contacting the dispatch line directly (780) 723-8507 (leave a message if closed) with the following:
- name of landowner burning or company and representative name.
- phone number in case of emergency.
- legal land description or latitude/longitude.
For more information or if you require guidance, you can contact the local forest area or visit wildfire.alberta.ca for more information.
WE'RE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!
Alberta Wildfire hires various positions during wildfire season. We're currently accepting applications for seasonal wildfire firefighters. Visit our website by clicking here to find out what positions we have to offer.
EDSON FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE
The wildfire danger in the Edson Forest Area is LOW. This means that a fire can still ignite if there is exposed dead or dry vegetation, but is not expected to spread to deeper vegetation layers or larger fuels, such as trees. This means that firefighters don't anticipate any wildfires to grow under the current conditions.
Since January 1, 2023, there have been 86 wildfires in the Edson Forest Area burning a total of 234,558 ha. There are currently six active wildfires, all are classified as under control. Of the active wildfires, one is human-caused, four are caused by lightning and two remain under investigation.
The wildfires will continue to be monitored for activity and be actioned by local wildland firefighting crews when needed. A reclamation plan has begun and equipment have started working on identified areas. This work is anticipated to continue into the winter months.
None of these wildfires pose a threat to any communities or properties, including the Town of Edson. To learn more about wildfire classifications, click here.
Visit our website and click on the interactive map to view active wildfires, their locations and stats on the wildfire dashboard.
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:
