The recent warm and dry weather has increased the risk of a wildfire starting in the Grande Prairie region. The wildfire danger for the Grande Prairie Forest Area is now high, but Wildfire Information Officer Crystal Burrows says there are still no fire advisories, restrictions or fire bans in place.
“Strong winds have been forecasted for the next couple of days, which will make fire ignitions more likely and wildfires may spread quickly,” she explains. “Please continue to exercise caution and if you spot a wildfire or see smoke in a forested area please call 310-FIRE immediately to ensure that crews and resources are able to respond as soon as possible.”
So far this season there have been 32 wildfires in the region, but only six were sparked by lightning. That means the others were all human-caused, which Burrows says means they were “100 per cent preventable.”