As wildfires rage throughout the province, the Alberta government announced a province-wide fire ban on May 25.
The ban does not include Jasper National Park.
“There are fundamental differences between fire bans issued in the province and the situation in our mountain national parks,” said Kim Weir, a fire communications officer with Parks Canada.
“In the province people can actually light and maintain a campfire on provincial lands wherever they choose, whereas in national parks, the Parks Canada fire regulations only allow campfires in designated fire pits.
She said it’s very rare for Parks to implement a full fire ban in the park, explaining in the past they have implemented a partial ban on the Saturday Night Lake Loop, west of town, to mitigate the threat of a wildfire developing upwind from town.
The provincial ban prohibits all open fires, including campfires in campgrounds or random camping areas, including charcoal briquettes.
Portable propane or gas stoves and barbecues designed for cooking or heating are allowed.
All fire permits have been suspended or cancelled and no new fire permits will be issued, according to a press release from the provincial government.
The ban comes after hot, dry weather elevated the wildfire hazard to high, very high or extreme over most of Alberta.
As of May 25, there were 29 wildfires burning in the province, including a 200-hectare wildfire that forced the evacuation of approximately 2,000 residents from Wabasca-Demarais, about four hours north of Edmonton.
The province has deployed more than 1,300 wildland firefighters and approximately 100 aircraft to fight the wildfires already underway. Ontario and Quebec have also sent addition resources to Alberta.
Since April 1, Alberta has experienced 629 wildfires that have burned more than 13,000 hectares
The hot, dry weather is expected to continue for at least another week.
For information about restrictions and locations, visit www.albertafirebans.ca.
Paul Clarke
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