As of last Friday, there were no fire bans in effect in Mountain View and Red Deer counties. The rain and cool weather have minimized the risks of wildfires.Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource issued the last fire ban on May 14 for the Forest Protection Area, which includes a small part of the county west of Sundre. It was lifted on May 18, enabling residents to have campfires for the May long weekend.When issuing a fire ban, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD) takes more than 15 factors into consideration.“There are so many factors. The conversations we have include at least a little piece on all those situations,” said Geoffrey Driscoll, wildfire information officer for AESRD.AESRD looks at fire danger across the province, wildfire risks, wildfire index, fire weather, current fire behaviour, municipal districts and counties impact, existing burning, impact on other government departments, restrictiveness of the ban, what kind of values are at risk, existing wildfires in the area, the provincial situation as a whole, likelihood of new wildfires, and current allocation of firefighters and equipment across the province, among many others.While issue a fire ban helps reduce human-caused fires, it is not a guarantee against the start of a new wildfire. Weather is responsible for its fair share of wildfires.“The more warm and dry it has been and is predicted to be, is going to influence how many fires occur, as well as what the fire will do when it starts,” said Driscoll.“In a lot of cases, we have high winds that come along with that. The higher the wind, the more likely that a fire is going to get bigger really fast.”Since April 1, there have been 497 fires in Alberta. While the number may seem high, Driscoll says it's about average.“That's actually a little disappointing that we have had as many fires as we did last year. With the type of season that we had last year and with all the different fires and the tragedies that went along with it, I thought that people might be a little more aware of the chances of starting a wildfire,” said Driscoll.“All the fires that we are seeing right now are human-caused. Human-caused wildfires are 100 per cent preventable.”As of last Friday, there were 10 fires burning in the province, all of which were under controlled.For more information about fire bans, please consult albertafirebans.ca or call 1-866-394-3473.
