If you plan to light fireworks or use exploding targets, you must have written permission from a forest officer. Apply for your free fire permit online or contact the forest area office.
An increased number of abandoned campfires have been found this month. Ensure you fully extinguish your campfire before leaving your site and never leave it unattended.
If you see smoke or flame in the forest and suspect it's a wildfire, call 310-FIRE (3473) to report it.
This update is best viewed on a web browser or the AB Wildfire Status App | View previous Edson Forest Area Updates. Bold indicates new or important information.
There are ten active fire lookouts in the Edson Forest Area.
FIRE LOOKOUTS
Lookouts are located where visibility is favourable to detect and report fires. The lookouts consist of one or 2-story alpine cabins (located on top of a mountain) or steel towers located on the highest ground throughout the boreal forest. Alberta has 100 active lookout sites within the Forest Protection Area. They are used to detect fire starts throughout the summer.
Lookout observers, working for a period of 30 to 180 days depending on their work location and the season’s fire danger, discover approximately 30% of fires annually. They are responsible for reporting wildfire activity within 5 minutes of detection. Each lookout is responsible for an area of 5,027 square kilometres. To learn more on how we prevent wildfires, visit our website.
EDSON FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE
The wildfire danger in the Edson Forest Area is now LOW. This means that the fire can still ignite but is not expected to spread to deeper vegetation layers or larger fuels, such as trees. Fire danger is a relative index depicting forest environment conditions, how a fire will behave and how much damage a fire could do. To view the forecasted fire danger map, click here.
Since January 1, 2024, there have been 59 wildfires in the Edson Forest Area burning a total of 85.79 hectares (ha).
Alberta investigates all wildfires. Of the 58 wildfires this year, nine have been caused by residents working or burning on their property, five have been caused by recreation activities, five by powerlines and three by agricultural activities. The rest remain under investigation or caused by similar industries and land users.
The area has detected an increase in abandoned campfires this month. Please make sure you fully extinguish your campfire and do not leave it unattended. The recent precipitation this spring has not been significant enough to prevent wildfires from spreading. Soak your campfire, stir the ashes and soak it again until the ashes are cool to the touch.
It's important to understand that wildfires caused by humans are rarely arson and anyone could accidently cause a wildfire. Keep watch of your surroundings when working and recreating outdoors and keep the risk of causing a wildfire to a minimum.
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.
PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE
The fire danger is very high in the northern part of the province. It is low to moderate for the central boreal and very high to extreme in the agricultural zone. The fire danger in the Rockies is high to very high.
Since January 1, 2024 in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, there have been 486 wildfires burning a total of 31,3611 ha.
Last year, on this date, there was 713 wildfires that burnt a total of 1,803,069 ha. In the past 5 years on this date, an average of 567 wildfires had burnt an average of 531,607 ha.
FIRE PERMITS ARE REQUIRED
All burning within the Forest Protection Area of Alberta requires a burn permit, with the exception of campfire. You can get your free fire permit by applying online or contact your local forest area office at (780) 723-8527 or you can request your permit using the online fire permit portal.
If you plan to light fireworks or use exploding targets, you must have written permission from a forest officer. Apply for your free fire permit online or contact the forest area office. Additional restrictions may be in place within your municipality. To learn more, visit their website.
FIRESMART YOUR HOME
FireSmart is a national program that helps Canadians increase their resilience to wildfire. Whether you are a homeowner, resident, business, local government, or Indigenous community, you can take small steps with lasting impacts.
Homes and buildings ignite because of the materials, condition, and everything that surrounds them. The area within 30 metres of the home is called the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ). Within it are three priority areas, each requiring specific actions. Start by reducing your risk in the Immediate Zone and work your way outward.
To learn more on how you can protect your home, visit FireSmart Alberta. For farm or acreages, you can download the Farm and Acreage FireSmart magazine.
WILDFIRE PREVENTION TIPS & TOOLS
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.
- If you are working within the Forest Protection of Alberta, you must carry sufficient firefighting equipment as per the Forest Prairie and Protection Act.
- 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.
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:
