Photo supplied by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

By Curtis Galbraith

Long Weekend

People asked to be careful with campfires this long weekend

May 21, 2021 | 5:30 AM

Wildfire watchers say while the rain earlier this week dropped the fire hazard in some areas, others are still dry.

Wildfire Information Officer Kelly Burke says some places only saw a fraction of a millimetre of rain.

“There are areas north of Slave Lake and north of Grande Prairie, and then south of Peace River as well, so there is a band through there that is quite dry. Also, you want to watch areas of dry grass, so even though it’s starting to dry up and the ground is wet, the dry grass on top dries out really quickly and that can spread fire quickly.”

Burke is asking everyone to be careful when out this weekend, especially with campfires.

“Last year, 88 per cent of the wildfires were human-caused, so it would be really nice just to stay safe and, whenever possible, use (the) existing campfire ring that’s there. If you don’t have a campfire ring, you’ll want to make sure that you put it on bare mineral soil, put it down to the soil and away from vegetation and under trees and that sort (of thing).”

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Burke is asking people using off-highway vehicles this long weekend to be mindful of fires.

“When you’re riding through the Forest Protection Area, it’s always smart to carry fire-fighting equipment so something like a shovel, a pail, or even a fire extinguisher just in case something falls off your vehicle that causes a hot spot and you are able to put it out yourself.”

Burke says the Alberta Fire Bans website and the wildfire information app will provide a lot of information on weather and fires in the area. Anyone who spots wildfire report it by calling 310-FIRE (3473).