UPDATE: The use of gas barbecues or propane fire pits are still permitted.
A fire and OHV ban is coming into place for the County of Grande Prairie. As of 4 p.m. on April 16th, the County, Towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith, and Wembley, and the Village of Hythe will be under the same order issued to Alberta’s Forest Protection Area.
All fire permits will be suspended, and all outdoor fires will be prohibited. Those include charcoal briquettes, open outdoor fires, open pit burning, cooking fires, burning refuse, brush piles and stubble.
Also banned are charcoal briquettes, open outdoor fires, open-pit burning, cooking fires, burning refuse, brush piles and stubble. A ban will also be in place on the use of Off-Highway Vehicles in all public and Crown lands.
The County says it will consider special permit requests for agricultural burning. Any existing permits are now void, and all fires currently burning must be extinguished immediately.
As for oilfield flaring, the County says there should be no open-pit flaring, and fires contained in industrial facilities or on industrial sites must be approved by a forest officer or fire guardian.
Anyone unsure how the ban affects them can contact the County of Grande Prairie Fire Protection Office at 780-532-9727.
There are no fire restrictions in place for the City of Grande Prairie. Clear Hills County and Big Lakes County have issued their own fire bans, and the Town of High Prairie is under a fire restriction.