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.