Lac La Biche Area Update

A FIRE ADVISORY remains in effect for the Lac La Biche Forest Area.

Be safe this May long weekend by fully extinguishing your campfire, checking for hotspots on your off-highway vehicle and calling 310-FIRE (3473) to report wildfires in the Forest Protection Area.

FIRE ADVISORY IN EFFECT

A fire advisory is in effect for the Lac La Biche Forest Area.

The fire advisory is in place as a precautionary measure. There could be cured grass present which increases the wildfire hazard when 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 grass in areas that has not seen the green-up stage. 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 permits will be issued on a case-by-case basis.

- Permits will not be issued for heavy fuels: machine piled brush piles, and windrows.

- Campfires are allowed in both designated campgrounds and random camping areas.

- Fireworks and exploding targets are prohibited.

We encourage any landowners who have done burning over the winter and that have had past fire permits to revisit the burn location to ensure these fires are fully extinguished.

The fire advisory will remain in effect until conditions improve or further escalation is required.

For more information regarding fire bans you can visit Albertafirebans.ca

LAC LA BICHE WILDFIRE UPDATE

The wildfire danger in the Lac La Biche Forest Area is LOW.

Since January 1 2024, there has been a total of 80 wildfires burning a total of 53 hectares in the Lac La Biche Forest Area. There is currently one wildfire in the Lac La Biche Forest Area and it is under control.

To view active wildfires across the province on a map, visit the Alberta Wildfire Status page.

PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE

Since January 1, 2024 in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, there have been 325 wildfires burning a total of 28,924 ha.

MAY LONG WEEKEND MESSAGE

While this weekends weather might bring cooler temperatures and scattered rain showers it is very important to properly extinguish any campfires you may have over the weekend.

Ensure you extinguish you campfire:

Soak it. Stir it. Soak it again.

Let the fire burn down before you plan on putting it out. Spread the embers within the fire pit, then add water or loose dirt, and stir.
Expose any material still burning. Add more water and stir again until you can no longer see smoke or steam. Do not bury your fire as the embers may continue to smoulder and can re-emerge as a wildfire.
Repeat until your campfire is cool to the touch.
If your fire is out, you should not be able to feel any heat from the ashes.

Fires on the landscape can burn deep into the ground making it look like they're extinguished but when conditions are right these fires can pop-up again. Do your part in preventing wildfires. Human-caused wildfires are 100% preventable, to find out more how you can help visit www.alberta.ca.

Always check fire ban information to see if your area is affected by visiting Albertafirebans.ca

FIRESMART- BEGINS AT HOME

By removing combustible materials around your home and on your property you're mitigating the risk of wildfires damaging your home. During a wildfire event sparks and embers can land on combustible fuels on your property and can ignite. Forest fires need fuel to burn and by eliminating excess fuel for the fire your home is in better place to survive the wildfire with minimal damage.

Small actions like cutting your grass to under ten centimeters, pruning trees two meters from the ground up and cleaning out your eaves can limit ignition potential if a wildfire moves through your area.

To find out more on how you can get started please visit the FireSmart Begins at Home Guide.

EMERGENCY PREPARDNESS

Are you prepared in case of an evacuation? In the event of an evacuation, individuals and families should be prepared to take care of themselves for at least 72 hours.

Find out what you need to do this wildfire season to be prepared. Click here for more information.

For the most up-to-date information about evacuations you can visit albertaemergencyalert.

For any road closures or impacted highways click here.

310-FIRE flames trees

WILDFIRE INFORMATION

Subscribe to your local Forest Area update or other Forest Area updates and they'll come directly to your email. You can visit our updates, enter your email address and click Instant then Subscribe.

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.

Visit the Alberta Wildfire website at wildfire.alberta.ca for more information on the current wildfire situation.

Before heading out, please check albertafirebans.ca to determine whether there are any fire advisories, fire restrictions or fire bans in effect for your destination.

For more information please contact:

Colby Lachance

Area Information Coordinator

780-404-9186

colby.lachance@gov.ab.ca