FIRE ADVISORY STILL IN EFFECT
A fire advisory remains in effect for the Lac La Biche Forest Area due to the accumulation of dry vegetation, which can easily ignite and will burn quickly if conditions are right.
Human caused wildfires are entirely preventable. Use caution when doing work outside, such as welding or grinding, as it can produce sparks that can start a wildfire. A fire will quickly spread in dry and dead grass. If you’re using your OHV, remember to stop often, cool down your machine and check your hotspots. Grass can get stuck in the hot areas of your OHV, heat up and start a wildfire when it falls to the ground.
Under this advisory:
· New fire permits will not be issued for non-essential heavy fuel burning such as machine-piled brush piles and windrows.
· Permits will be issued on a case-by-case basis.
Prohibited:
· Any burning without a valid fire permit, other than a campfire, is prohibited.
Allowed:
· Safe wood campfires*
· Backyard fire pits
· Portable propane fire pits
· Gas or propane stoves and barbecues
· Catalytic or infrared-style heaters
*Safe wood campfires - should be within a metal, brick, or rock fire ring. They are required to:
a) be on rock, gravel, sand, or another non-combustible surface that extends at least one metre around the fire;
b) have a responsible person in attendance to keep fire under control at all times and extinguish before leaving;
c) have on hand enough water on site to extinguish the fire. Safe wood campfires on private lands include private land campgrounds and private land recreation areas; and
d) Municipalities, Parks and protected areas may have additional fire safety requirements.
Return to winter burn sites to ensure they are completely extinguished. These fires can smoulder underground and flare up into a wildfire when the conditions are right.
NOTE: Areas of the map that are white mean there is still snow on the ground. Once snow free conditions occur the wildfire danger will be visible on the map.
LAC LA BICHE WILDFIRE UPDATE
The wildfire danger in the Lac La Biche Forest Area is HIGH. When the fire danger is high it indicates that forest fuels are dry and fire risk is serious. Moderate to vigorous surface fire is expected, which may spread to treetops. Conditions may be challenging for fire suppression efforts.
Since January 1 2024, there has been a total of 33 wildfires burning a total of 43 ha in the Lac La Biche Forest Area.
SPRING WILDFIRE AWARENESS
A lack of precipitation this winter has created unusually dry conditions earlier into our fire season than normal. In many open areas there is an accumulation of dry vegetation which can easily ignite and will burn quickly if conditions are right.
We can all do our part in preventing human caused wildfires by:
- being aware of any fire ban information in the area, check out albertafirebans.ca
- keeping your off-highway vehicle clear of any debris and stop often to cool down your machine
- being careful when grinding or welding in dry locations and always carry fire fighting equipment with you (fire extinguisher and hand tools)
- properly extinguishing your campfire by soaking it, stirring it and soaking it again. The ashes should be cold to the touch
- making sure your farming equipment is in good working order in order to reduce sparks
For more safe burning practises please visit https://www.alberta.ca/safe-burning
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You can also download the AB Wildfire Status App, click the "i" at the bottom left for the most recent update. To be notified when new updates are live you can click the bell for notifications and scroll to the Lac La Biche Forest Area update.