Hunting season is getting underway, and the risk of accidentally starting a wildfire is not yet over. The fire hazard for the Grande Prairie region is currently low, but off-highway vehicles can spark up dry grass.
Wildfire Information Officer Melinda Paplawski explains that ATV exhausts can quickly reach temperatures of more than 200 degrees Celsius, which can dry out even wet and muddy debris to the point that it smoulders. It’s recommended that you stop regularly to clean off any build up near the exhaust and muffler, under your seat, in the wheel wells and around the engine. Carrying an extinguisher or a bucket and shovel with you will help make sure any debris is extinguished.
This wildfire season has been a rather quiet one for the area, with 69 fires that have burned a total of 137 hectares.