While cooler and wetter weather this week has provided Alberta’s firefighters with some help getting the province’s wildfire situation under control, it has also allowed officials in several regions to relax some of the fire bans that had been put in place because of the unseasonably hot, dry weather earlier this month.
On Tuesday, Rocky View County, located north of Calgary, Lacombe County, north of Red Deer and the Municipal District of Willow Creek, located west of Lethbridge, all downgraded their fire bans to fire advisories.
In a notice posted online, Lacombe County said “significant precipitation” has created improved fire conditions, but it also warns that the “fire danger remains high to very high in many areas.” As a result, residents are being asked to “exercise extreme caution.”
The change means burning is allowed in some areas under certain situations, such as recreational camp fires in a fire pit, backyard fire pits, charcoal barbecues and burning barrels.
Similar restrictions are in place in both Rocky View County and the MD of Willow Creek.
While burning permits are also being issued again in the MD of Willow Creek — and Lacombe County will consider them on a case-by-case basis — in Rocky View County, all large burning permits remain suspended.
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The latest information on all the fire bans and restrictions is available online at albertafirebans.ca and the latest on the fire danger across Alberta is available at alberta.ca/fire-danger.
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