Lethbridge sees 300% increase in reported fires in 2023

A Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services truck is seen in this undated file image.

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. -

For Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES), 2023 was not an easy year, as firefighters saw a 300 per cent increase in the number of fires reported.

“We call them nuisance fires, they can be anything from an alley fire, a dumpster fire, garbage fires,” said Troy Hicks, fire prevention officer with LFES.

“Dumpster fires were the majority and we're on the plus side of 340 just downtown for 2023.”

Last year marked the busiest year on record for fire-related calls for LFES.

Hicks says the department also saw an increase in abandoned structures throughout the city, such as the Lethbridge Hotel and Bow On Tong store.

“We did run into a lot of issues with vacant buildings to the point where we've actually started a program here in the city to take a look at vacant buildings, making property owners and landlords more responsible to making sure they're secure,” Hicks told CTV News.

As part of the City of Lethbridge’s encampment strategy, LFES is working with the city to identify vacant properties that pose a risk for trespassing to eliminate the potential for fires.

But the record number of calls is putting a strain on first responders.

“We could have assets that are at a dumpster fire in an alley here, downtown or anywhere here in the city and next you know, we have an example like the three-home fire we had on Boxing Day, so we need to get assets away and we have to be able to clear them from one scene to get them to another,” Hicks explained.

“The demand it's putting on our resources and our staff is huge.”

As a result, Hicks says public education and fire prevention activities have been put on the back burner to allow members to assist in fire investigations and documentation.

As the calendar flips to a new year, Hicks, along with the fire prevention office, is asking residents and business owners to do their part in preventing fires.

“We’re asking business owners who have a dumpster to make sure they’re locking it so that people can’t get inside,” he said.

“For those black bins, or blue bins and green compost bins, just reminding ‘out of sight, out of mind’ so that it deters people from starting fires. As well, making sure your bins are away from combustible materials like a wood fence.”

He says anyone with a vacant building is asked to call the city’s 311 line so it can keep track of the properties.

“We don’t want to sound like we’re harping at people,” Hicks explained.

“They’re not malicious (fires), they're trying to get warm and unfortunately accidents happen if there's too much combustibles, too much garbage, so just keep your area clean.”

LFES is currently recruiting firefighters and paramedics, which Hicks hopes will have a positive impact on the department.

When looking at 2024, Hicks hopes to bring the public awareness component of firefighting back to the public in an effort to reduce the number of fires.

“Fires do happen, it's inevitable, it's going to happen, but we can just through education and training of people that hopefully we can start to minimize and some of the demands on our resources, whether it's equipment or personal,” Hicks said.