Warning from provincial officials over fire risk
Posted May 17, 2010 1:20 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With campers heading out this coming long weekend, Alberta Sustainable Resources is warning us about the fire hazard.
The department says it’s bad all across the province and they point to the current situation in Thorhild county, about 60 kilometres north of Edmonton.
A massive wildfire there has forced the province to launch the emergency broadcast system, and officials to issue an evacuation order for residents.
It’s so dry and hot that government officials are worried more wildfires could be sparked at any minute.
Geoff Driscoll with Alberta Sustainable Resources tells 660News all it takes is a simple mistake.
“If they don’t make sure their campfire is fully extinguished, the possibility of lighting a wildfire is high and you can see that wildfire spread extremely quickly. So they just need to be careful,” he says.
He adds in just one minute a small flame can spread into a 10-metre fire.
If the weather stays the same we could see many more fire bans in effect as we head into the long weekend.
There have been 150 more wildfires so far this year than for the same period last year.
