Warm week prompts wildfire concerns in Alberta
With temperatures expected to hover around the 30 C mark throughout much of Alberta for the rest of the week, the risk of wildfire is on the rise.
As of Monday evening, there were 38 active wildfires across Alberta, bringing this year's total to 828.
An interactive map showing all current wildfires in Alberta can be found here.
The Calgary Forest Area wildfire danger remains very high, meaning any existing fire permits are currently suspended.
Fire bans are also in effect for several communities, including Banff, Canmore, Three Hills, Rocky View County, Foothills County, Cypress County, and Lethbridge's River Valley.
All updated fire bans and restrictions can be viewed here.
The City of Calgary is also under a heat warning.
Alberta Wildfire says it will continue to monitor the situation.
Southern Alberta is going to see temperatures exceed relative humidity for the next couple of days, creating a crossover condition, according to Derrick Forsythe, provincial information officer with Alberta Wildfire.
“When we see crossover conditions emerge, that’s an indication that if a wildfire starts, it will ignite quickly and spread rapidly so it’s a very precarious situation,” he told CTV News.
Forsythe said visitors should report wildfires they see by calling 310 Fire.
“It’s important that we take that step to responsible stewardship to ensure that those values remain on the landscape so that future generations can enjoy them the same way we are,” he said.
Meanwhile, in British Columbia, 149 wildfires were burning as of Monday morning, 57 of which are in the Southeast Fire Zone, and 245 wildfires had been reported in a seven-day window.
Residents of Sparwood, B.C. are keeping a close eye on one burning just five km away.
“We’ve been putting out frequent communications when situations change, and as of right now, the conditions have been quite favourable for crews to make significant progress on the Cummings Creek Fire, for example,” said Sarah Hall, provincial information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service.
To view active wildfires burning in B.C., click here.
Based on data in the National Forestry Database (NFD), more than 8,000 fires occur yearly and burn an average of over 2.1 million hectares nationwide.
Last year, wildfires burned up 4.3 million hectares of Canadian forest.
According to the NFD, lightning causes about 50 per cent of all fires but accounts for about 85 per cent of the annual area burned.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.