The provincial government held another weekly wildfire update on Wednesday (April 24) morning.

During the media conference, Minister of Forestry and Parks Tod Loewen said that Alberta is continuing to experience higher-than-normal wildfire risk and activity, with several new wildfires having started since last week's update. 

"Over the past week, Alberta had several wildfires classified as out of control at various points in time, reinforcing the need for collective action on behalf of Albertans," explained Minister Loewen. "We must all do our part to prevent human-caused wildfires and protect our communities and forests in the coming weeks."

During the past week, there were several communities that had received evacuation alerts due to wildfires.

Along with local municipalities, Alberta Wildfire is working to contain those wildfires before they create a necessity to evacuate.

"We will continue to coordinate with local authorities, and we strongly urge you to stay vigilant and follow all local advisories and orders, should they occur," Minister Lowen says.

The Alberta government is continuing to add more firefighters to their crews, with 200 wildfires having already been extinguished this year.

Almost all of them are believed to have been human-caused, given the weather we've been experiencing.

In response to the amount of wildfires in the province and the dryness we have been experiencing, more fire bans have been put in place across the province. 

"As I have mentioned many times before, wildfire prevention and preparedness is a shared responsibility. Everyone must do their part to safeguard their properties and communities by fostering wildfire resilience. One of the ways this can be done is becoming familiar with FireSmart principles," Loewen said.

This includes removing trees and bushes that are in close proximity to the home.

Minister Loewen also recommends people to check in on fire bans in their area, as they help to reduce human-caused wildfires.

As of 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, there were 63 wildfires burning throughout Alberta, with 7 being classified as being held and 56 under control.

"So far this year, we've responded to 205 wildfires in the forest protection area of Alberta that have burned about 755 hectares," explained Alberta Wildfire Information Officer Josee St. Onge at the media conference. "Our five-year average for this time of year is 120 wildfires with around 230 hectares burnt. Alberta Wildfire is also responding to a mutual aid fire in the Municipal District of Peace."

Even though parts of Alberta are expected to see some cooler temperatures and precipitation soon, conditions remain dry.

"This is a critical time for wildfire in Alberta. Snow has melted and exposed dead and dry vegetation, which is extremely flammable for a wildfire. Until vegetation green-up happens, wildfires will easily ignite and can spread very quickly. We ask all Albertans to continue doing their part to prevent human-caused wildfires. A fire restriction is in place in most of the forest protection area of Alberta and many municipalities have put in their own fire bans and restrictions."

They are asking people to use caution whenever in a forested area.

To stay up to date on fire bans in your area, keep an eye on the Alberta Fire bans webpage.

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