It's been awful dry around High River and the Foothills over the last couple of weeks as we've enjoyed these Chinook temperatures.

However with the dry conditions comes an increased risk of grass fires both inside and outside of town.

High River Fire Chief Lance Bushie says it's something they're keeping an eye on.

"Well, it's starting to climb. We've got the snow coming off the fields and with the winds drying things out again, there is a chance for having some wildfires start to pop up. I believe the Edson area had a wildfire in December, which is very odd for that type of fire behaviour at this time of year."

Bushie says people chucking cigarette butts out of vehicle windows is a big cause of grass fires, but there's another one they're just as concerned about.

"One of the big one's for us is burning barrels. Wind can take embers and blow them away from where your fire is and catch the grass or trees and whatnot. Fire can get away with these types of winds that are coming."

He says the fire danger is rising slowly, but some snow would drop it back down quickly.

 

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