Canada Global (Web News) During the wildfire season, the expansive blue sky are choked by smoke, the rolling foothills are consumed by flames, and firefighters are fighting the fires from the air and on the ground.
In Alberta, the wildfire season lasts from March 1 to October 31. The majority of springtime wildfires, according to the provincial authorities, are sparked by people, making them completely avoidable.
Crews are currently preparing for what 2023 may bring across the province.
According to Anastasia Drummond, a wildlife information officer, “this time of year can be very difficult.”
“After the snow has melted, there is a lot of dead grass that is still standing. We regularly monitor it in case a wildfire does start since it may spread quickly and be difficult to put out.
Firefighters have already responded to grass and brush fires in the Edmonton region in recent weeks. On Monday, a community was temporarily evacuated because a grass fire was getting close to some homes.
More than 400 wildland firefighters and 300 seasonal support personnel are undergoing training, carrying out controlled burns, and opening facilities like air tanker and fire bases in case they are need to respond to an emergency.
In 2022, there were 165 wildfires in the Calgary woodland area.
Although just a tiny area of land burnt, Drummond claims that the majority of the fires could have been avoided.
Drummond continued, “It might be anything from fires that were abandoned outright to flames that were badly put out.
In forest protection areas, fireworks and explosive targets are not permitted without prior authorization.
The province stated that the FPA represents the geographic areas concerned with the prevention and control of damage to forests from fire, insects, disease, and other harmful agents. The FPA includes the majority of northern Alberta’s Boreal forest as well as the western foothills and mountains outside the national parks.
In contrast to the five-year average of 1,100 wildfires burning over 190,000 hectares, the province reported having 1,246 fires last season that consumed more than 130,000 hectares.
