Less stringent fire ban for Edmonton

No fireworks or open burning but barbecuing is OK

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services have replaced a widespread fire ban with less- stringent restrictions that prohibit fireworks and open burning but allow barbecuing. Wildfire information officer Geoff Driscoll said Tuesday that cooler and wetter weather has helped firefighters gain ground on blazes that had been fuelled by dry, windy conditions.

Driscoll said there are 36 wildfires burning provincewide, down from a high of 65. There are still four fires out of control, but at one point 20 were in that category.

A major fire 40 kilometres northwest of Cold Lake covers 31,000 hectares, Driscoll said. That blaze led to Canadian Natural Resources Limited and Cenovus to evacuate more than 2,000 workers from energy sites May 23. Both companies were permitted to send emergency teams back into their plants to inspect equipment Monday.

They are continuing to complete safety checks that will lead to resumed operations. The facilities were never in peril, Driscoll said, but roads leading to them had become too dangerous to navigate.

Cenovus spokeswoman Sonja Franklin said work is also underway to prepare camp accommodations for staff as they continue with startup activities. Accommodations for non- essential workers should be ready later this week, she said.

Last week, the company evacuated about 1,800 employees from its Foster Creek oilsands and Athabasca natural gas projects on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range. At the same time, CNRL removed 250 workers from its Primrose operations.

Driscoll said firefighters were able to bring a wildfire under control about 20 kilometres north of Conklin on Monday night that had affected a steam- assisted plant run by MEG Energy near Christina Lake in northeast Alberta. The company had evacuated employees out of the site May 26.

Alberta Environment currently has 825 firefighters and other workers deployed around the province.